*Blame players’ indiscipline, NFF’s ineptitude for another World Cup fading

The Guild of Sports Editors of Nigeria, the umbrella body of the managers of the sports desks of the country’s media houses, has expressed its disappointment over the way the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has handled the country’s bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. 

Nigeria’s Super Eagles are third in Group C of the 2026 World Cup African qualifying series with 11 points. They are behind South Africa (17 Points) and Benin Republic (14 points) with two games to go. 

The winner of the group will qualify automatically for the World Cup to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, while the second placed team has the opportunity of a playoff if it is adjudged as one of the four best runners up at the completion of the series. 

As things stand, Nigeria may not even qualify for the playoff unless a major disaster befalls either South Africa or Benin Republic and the Super Eagles win their remaining two games with high score margins. 

Reacting to the country’s struggles in a group comprising Rwanda, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Benin Republic, the editors said the Super Eagles would not have fallen so low if the managers of the team planned for success when the qualification pattern was announced in 2023.

The Guild in a statement signed by the its President, Mr Tony Ubani and Secretary, Dare Esan, said that it was unfortunate that the people saddled with the responsibility of leading the country’s charge for the World Cup dilly-dallied when decisive action was needed and also allowed indiscipline to ruin the country’s ‘bid to qualify for the greatest football show on earth.’  

The statement reads: “We watched in dismay as the NFF wasted so much time in employing a substantive manager after doing away with Mr Jose Peseiro, who could only earn the country two points from two games. 

“The manner the NFF handled the Finidi George debacle did not show a federation that knew what to do to arrest the country’s fading hope of making the 2026 World Cup.  

“It is also unfortunate that the NFF allowed all manner of content creators to take over the Super Eagles’ camp when more serious countries barred such fellows and even their players from going to camp with such distractions as mobile phones and other gadgets.”

According to the editors, the NFF displayed an embarrassing lack of tact by keeping quiet when Zimbabwe and Lesotho picked South Africa as venues for their home games, an arrangement that gave the South Africans huge advantage in the race for the World Cup. “With this type of arrangement, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana were given the opportunity to play “six of their nine games at home” and the NFF did not see anything wrong with that. “Worse still, our players were allowed to stroll into camp any time they wished with no sanctions on anybody for coming late.”

Before Nigeria’s home game against Rwanda, the Super Eagles could only start full training on Wednesday for the Saturday match because Coach Eric Chelle only had his complete squad on that Wednesday. 

For a country that did not qualify for the last World Cup in Qatar, this showed that the NFF did not learn anything from the last failure.” 

On the Super Eagles’ lack of alternatives to the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, the Editors called on the Federal Government to rehabilitate the Abuja and Lagos national stadia, as well as the affiliate facilities in Kaduna and Enugu, saying that providing alternatives for the team would have helped rejuvenate their campaign when winning games in Uyo became difficult.  

“We lost the World Cup ticket as the home draws with South Africa, Zimbabwe and Lesotho put the campaign on jeopardy. This is unfortunate. “To salvage the situation, we call on the Federal Government to assist the NFF to ensure that the Super Eagles win their last two games against Lesotho and Benin Republic, which could put the country in a position to qualify for the African playoffs as one of the best four second-placed teams. The Super Eagles cannot afford to miss another World Cup,” the Editors concluded in the statement.

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