Some football stakeholders in the Federal Capital Territory have blamed inadequate preparation, tactical deficiencies and weak developmental structures for the recent setbacks suffered by the country’s national football teams.

The stakeholders spoke against the backdrop of the Super Falcons’ 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Cameroon at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Casablanca on Sunday.

The Flying Eagles also lost 4-1 to Burkina Faso in the final of the 2026 WAFU Zone B U-20 Championship in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.

It was the second time Burkina Faso defeated Nigeria in the competition, having also beaten the Flying Eagles in the group stage.

In Abuja on Tuesday, the stakeholders said the results exposed shortcomings in the preparation and development of the national teams.

Abimbola Samuel, owner of Casmatt Football Club and a technical adviser, attributed the Super Falcons’ poor showing largely to inadequate preparation.

“The preparation was not good. Some of those girls reported directly to Morocco about two to three days before the major competition. There is nothing like preparation. As soon as you don’t prepare well, you are prepared to fail,” he said.

Mr Samuel urged the Nigeria Football Federation to develop a contingency plan that would enable locally based players to train alongside their foreign-based counterparts ahead of major tournaments.

Olufunmilayo Adeoti, coach of Abigealand FC, called for stronger technical structures and increased investment in quality coaches.

“Nigeria has the money. We should be able to go for the best, just like Morocco did,” she said.

Tolulope Oguntimilehin, a sports journalist, said the Super Falcons’ defeat should not be blamed solely on head coach Justine Madugu.

Mr Oguntimilehin said the team did not receive the level of preparation expected of a national team of its stature.

“I feel sad because a lot of people are putting everything at the doorstep of the coach. When we have indigenous coaches, we tend to treat them badly. We need to look at the level of preparation given to the team,” he said.

He urged the sports media to hold the NFF accountable for the preparation of the national teams.

Mr Oguntimilehin also called for better planning for the youth teams, saying preparations should begin well ahead of major competitions.

Paul Joseph, a sports analyst, said Nigeria still had abundant football talents but needed to address deficiencies in preparation, tactical organisation and player development. He said the technical crew of the Flying Eagles needed to work on defensive organisation, discipline and decision-making.

“These boys are the future of the Super Eagles. We should not only celebrate their results. We must develop them properly,” he said.

(NAN)