Nigeria's junior footballers denied visas to play in Spain, says NFF

Members of Nigeria's junior football team have been denied visas to attend a tournament in Spain, the country's football federation says.

The visa denials affected both players and officials of the under-15 football team, the Future Eagles, it said.

The team would "therefore not be travelling to take part in the Uefa U16 Development Tournament", the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) tweeted.

It did not say what reason had been given for the denial.

However, the Spanish authorities told the BBC the federation's claim was "not correct".

"Our Consulate General in Lagos has gone through the case and wishes to inform that the applicants withdrew their applications at the consulate on Monday, 8th of April," a representative for the Spanish embassy in Nigeria said.

"No one has denied those visas."

The Future Eagles were set to leave Nigeria on Tuesday, ahead of their first match against Belgium on Friday.

The 20-player squad was also due to play against Italy and England.

The Uefa Under-16 Youth Development Tournament, which is organised by Europe's football governing body, has been held since 2012.

It is intended to expose 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.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Image source: Nigerian Football Federation/X