Simon Kalika, a Dutch-born football coach, has described Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets’ 2-1 defeat to Niger Republic at the ongoing 2026 WAFU B U-17 Championship in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, as a painful reflection of the country’s football decline, Completesports.com reports. Speaking exclusively to Completesports.com from his native Holland on Friday morning, Kalika said it hurt to see Nigeria lose its former standing in world football.
In recent years, Nigeria have missed several major international tournaments, including the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups, the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games. Also Read: WAFU B U-17 Championship: Golden Eaglets Ready For Côte d’Ivoire Challenge – Eboboritse The Golden Eaglets now face the risk of missing the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which serves as the qualification route to the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Kalika expressed his disappointment following the Golden Eaglets’ defeat to Niger Republic, describing the result as another worrying sign of the problems confronting Nigerian football. “Nigeria [Golden Eaglets] losing to Niger Republic is very sad news when it comes to football in the country,” Kalika said. “For me, it is the height of football decline in the country, and it is not about the players but the administration.
“In my opinion, Nigeria is a world-class country when it comes to football. But it hurts that the nation is no longer what it used to be in world football.” Kalika, who assisted Samson Siasia when Nigeria won silver medals at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands and the men’s football event at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, also highlighted what he believes has held Nigerian football back and proposed a way forward.