Spain has denied members of Nigeria’s junior football team visas to attend a tournament.
The development means that the Future Eagles will also miss an opportunity to play against Belgium, Italy and England.
The visa denials affected both players and officials of the under-15 football team, the Future Eagles.
Nigeria’s Football Federation (NFN) says the team would “therefore not be travelling to take part in the Uefa U16 Development Tournament”, the NFF tweeted.
It did not say what reason had been given for the visa denials. The Spanish authorities have not yet commented.
The Future Eagles were set to leave Nigeria on Tuesday, ahead of their first match against Belgium on Friday.
The Uefa Under-16 Youth Development Tournament, which is organised by Europe’s football governing body, has been held since 2012.
It exposes elite junior players to international football and ease their transition into senior levels of the sport.
Nigerian athletes and their supporters often complain about being denied visas by other countries, even when they say they have fulfilled all the visa requirements.
In February, Nigeria’s national football team pulled out of a planned friendly match against Argentina, which was to be held in the US, after the Nigerian players failed to secure visas on time.
Source: Africafeeds.com
