By Arinzechi Chukwunonso

The National Coordinator and Technical Director of the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS) in Nigeria, Nasiru Jibril, has expressed deep disappointment over the continued neglect of players developed under the FIFA–Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) partnership program by the country’s Under-17 coaching crew.

Speaking in Abuja, Jibril criticized the failure of the Golden Eaglets' head coach, Manu Garba, to include any player from the TDS in his recent team selection — despite years of structured grooming and investment in young talents.

“It is really shocking to me that the head coach of the U17 says he hasn’t seen a single player from the TDS worthy of making the team,” Jibril lamented. “For almost two years, we’ve run this program — holding camps, playing friendlies home and abroad, even traveling to Morocco to face their U17 side — yet none of our boys was considered good enough. It’s hard to justify.”

The FIFA TDS, a joint project between FIFA and the NFF, was launched to identify, develop, and nurture young footballers into elite prospects for Nigeria’s national teams. The program has conducted several national camps, with players exposed to international test matches, including against Morocco’s youth teams.

Despite this, Jibril revealed that not one player from the TDS setup was invited to join the U17 squad that failed to qualify for the AFCON U17 Championship and the FIFA U17 World Cup — for the second time in a row.

“We’ve had these boys in structured development. Ninety percent of them will pass MRI age tests, they’ve beaten older academy teams here in Nigeria, and have international experience,” he said. “Yet the coach says none are good enough for the qualifiers. That’s a huge discouragement for the entire development system.”

Jibril went further to question the purpose of continuing the FIFA-funded youth project if the national team coaches refuse to integrate its products.

“Honestly, there’s no point continuing with the TDS if these boys will never get a chance. Maybe the federation should just use FIFA’s funds directly for the U17 team,” he suggested. “We’ve created a pathway where players should move from U15 to U16 to U17, but there’s no continuity.”

He accused the current U17 technical crew of disconnecting from the developmental structure, noting that despite several invitations, the national team coaches rarely attend TDS training sessions or follow-up on player growth.

“We have coaches here with the youth teams who work round the clock, but the U17 handlers never even come to watch training,” Jibril stated. “We keep a database of all our players — their growth, their progress, even their fitness — but it seems the coaches prefer to scout afresh every year, bringing in overaged players who eventually fail MRI tests.”

The TDS boss also shared examples of players overlooked by the system, including promising youngsters from Kaduna and Jos, who have since impressed at club level or in higher youth categories.

“One of our players went back to his academy and ended up playing against an U20 team — and was man of the match. Yet he wasn’t even allowed to train with the U17 camp. How do we build continuity like this?” he asked.

Despite the frustration, Jibril acknowledged that the TDS has still made progress, as several graduates have moved on to play in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) and abroad. However, he warned that the program risks losing its purpose if the national team structure fails to embrace it.

“FIFA’s idea for the TDS is for it to be the base for the U17 team. We’ve exposed these kids, given them the right football education, and now many are playing in professional clubs. It’s ironic that the same players we’re told aren’t good enough for the U17 are already proving themselves in the league,” he concluded.

Jibril’s remarks come amid renewed debate about the disconnect between Nigeria’s grassroots development system and national team selection, especially at the youth level, where concerns over age cheating and inconsistent scouting remain prevalent.