Former Flying Eagles coach Ladan Bosso has rejected suggestions that Nigeria’s U-20 team was inadequately prepared for the recently concluded WAFU-B U-20 Championship, following the team’s heavy 4-1 defeat to Burkina Faso in the final.
The Flying Eagles endured a nightmare start in the final, conceding three goals inside the opening 15 minutes as Burkina Faso took control of the contest. Nigeria eventually suffered a 4-1 defeat and finished the tournament as runners-up.
Amid criticism of the team’s preparation and technical crew, Bosso defended the work carried out before and during the competition.
The former Nigeria U-20 coach argued that the coaching staff and players did everything within their capacity to prepare the team for the tournament and should not be blamed solely for the disappointing final result.
“The team did its best, and the technical crew also gave its best. We cannot allow one bad performance to erase all the work that went into preparing the team.”
Bosso, who previously coached the Flying Eagles from 2020 to 2024, called for more work to be done across the country’s youth football system to prevent similar setbacks in future tournaments.
The former coach acknowledged that conceding three goals so early in such an important match placed Nigeria in an extremely difficult position. The Flying Eagles struggled to recover after Burkina Faso established a commanding advantage.
Nigeria’s defeat was particularly disappointing after the team had progressed to the final and entered the decisive match with hopes of winning the regional title.
Bosso believes the experience should instead be used to identify the areas requiring improvement, particularly in preparation, tactical organisation, concentration and defensive discipline.
The former coach has previously emphasised the importance of adequate preparation for youth national teams, arguing that young players need sufficient time together and quality opposition before major competitions.
With the latest WAFU-B campaign now concluded, the focus will shift towards ensuring that lessons from the heavy final defeat are incorporated into future youth national-team programmes.
The 4-1 loss to Burkina Faso has therefore renewed calls for stronger preparation and deeper technical planning within Nigeria’s youth football structure.
