Nigeria’s U15 participation in UEFA U16 Development Tournament dashed due to Spanish visa issue

Nigeria’s U15 participation at this year’s UEFA Under-16 Development Tourney has been thwarted by the Spanish Embassy as they have been denied a visa to travel to Spain for the competition, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Nigeria Future Eagles were scheduled to depart for Spain on Tuesday afternoon to participate in a UEFA U16 Development Tournament, to which the African powerhouse received a special invitation.

This exclusive invitation highlights Nigeria's esteemed reputation in youth football, having clinched five world titles at the U17 boys' level and twice reaching the FIFA World Cup final at U20 level.

In a statement from the Nigeria Football Federation, it was announced that the team would not be able to travel for the tournament due to the visa denial.

The statement reads: “Players and officials of the Nigeria U15 team, Future Eagles, have been denied visas by the Spanish Embassy and will therefore not be travelling to take part in the UEFA U16 Development Tournament starting on Friday.”

The Future Eagles, under the guidance of coach Patrick Bassey, underwent a week-long training regimen at the Remo Stars’ Sports Institute in Ikenne.

During this period, they engaged in two matches against the Remo Stars’ U16 boys (Beyond Limits FC), securing a victory in one and suffering a defeat in the other.

In the preceding month, the Future Eagles embarked on a two-match tour of Morocco, facing their counterparts from the North African country. Despite starting with a 2-3 loss in the first game, they rallied to claim a 5-3 victory in the second encounter held in Kenitra.

However, despite the rigorous preparation, their aspirations to compete in the tournament were dashed as they were denied permission to travel to Spain.