Bazuaye urges Nigeria to give 1985 Golden Eaglets key roles

Former Super Eagles winger Baldwin Bazuaye has called for a major change in the way Nigeria manages its national football teams, saying long-term planning and the involvement of former internationals are needed to restore the country’s fortunes. He also wants members of the 1985 Golden Eaglets squad to receive prominent positions in the national-team structure.

Bazuaye’s comments came after a difficult period for Nigeria’s leading teams. The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while the Super Falcons missed out on qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The Flying Eagles also failed to qualify for the 2027 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations and, as a result, the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

The former Ethnikos Piraeus player believes the main weakness is administrative rather than a lack of technical ability. He said coaches in earlier years were appointed well before major competitions, giving them between six and eight months to build a squad and, in some cases, as much as one or two years to prepare.

That approach allowed coaches to begin with players from the domestic league, assess them over time and strengthen specific positions with footballers based in Europe. Bazuaye also pointed to former national-team training bases such as Bembo Village Camp and Afuze Camp as part of a more structured preparation system. He contrasted that model with the current practice of appointing coaches only weeks or months before qualification campaigns begin.

According to Bazuaye, limited preparation leaves coaches relying heavily on foreign-based players brought together at short notice. He said the Nigeria Football Federation and other football authorities must provide coaches with enough time, support and responsibility before expecting improved results. His wider recommendation is that Nigeria should stop repeating the same planning process while expecting a different outcome.

Bazuaye also criticised the limited presence of the 1985 Golden Eaglets in Nigerian football administration and coaching. That team won Nigeria’s first FIFA U-17 World Cup title in China, but he said most of its members have not been given the influence their achievement deserves. He identified Nduka Ugbade, who previously worked with the U-17 team, and Imama Amapakabo, who served as an assistant coach, as notable exceptions. Bazuaye, a 1996 Olympic gold medallist, said the generation that first placed Nigeria on the world youth football map should not be left outside the country’s football leadership.