Former Nigeria international Mutiu Adepoju has stated that the Flying Eagles failing to qualify for the 2017 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Zambia is not a setback for Nigerian football
The Flying Eagles were eliminated by Sudan in the U-20 AFCON play-offs on the away goals rule.
Ahead of this year's edition which kicks off on Sunday, Adepoju who won the U-20 title with the Flying Eagles in 1988 told Completesportsnigeria.com that the country should build from the disappointment.
"Not qualifying for the U-20 Cup of Nations will affect the players most especially and the country in general. Also not participating in the U-20 AFCON means we will not be at the U-20 World Cup," Adepoju, who played professionally in Spain and now runs the LaLiga office in Nigeria, told Completesportsnigeria.com.
"It is a setback but nevertheless, we have to take it up from where we went wrong so as to prepare for the next one. It is unfortunate that this set of Flying Eagles were eliminated. Against Sudan they won away only to come home and lose. It was something that one could not explain.
"Let's just put this disappointment aside and focus in the next edition hopefully we will qualify."