Chukwuma Akuneto, head coach of Manchester City's Under-17 side, has pointed to a fundamental failure in planning and preparation as the root cause of Nigeria's humiliating 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying Group L Matchday 2 clash in Bissau on Tuesday.

Akuneto warned that the result has placed the Super Eagles' qualification for AFCON 2027 in serious jeopardy, with only one berth available from Group L.

A failure of management, not just conditions

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle had attributed the heavy loss to the poor state of the pitch at the 20,000-capacity Estadio Nacional 24 de Setembro and adverse weather conditions. Akuneto, however, pushed back firmly on that line of thinking.