Johannes Bonfrere, the Dutch coach who led Nigeria to Olympic gold in 1996, has spoken out sharply against what he calls the rapid decline of Nigerian football, following a painful double blow to the country's national teams in recent days.

Bonfrere's comments came moments after Burkina Faso defeated the Flying Eagles 4-1 in the WAFU B Championship final in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire on Sunday. That defeat eliminates Nigeria from both the 2027 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations and, consequently, the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Burkina Faso complete a clean sweep

It was a second heavy loss to Burkina Faso in the same tournament — the Flying Eagles had already fallen 2-0 to the same opponents in the group stage. Burkina Faso's final victory secured them the WAFU B title and the U-20 AFCON qualification spot that Nigeria desperately needed.