*Urges Nigeria’s football authorities to adopt hybrid turf technologies 

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Nigeria’s foremost stadium turf expert, Ebi Egbe, has said that he’s vindicated by the decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to schedule the 2026 World Cup African playoffs to be played on the hybrid natural turf of the Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.

Nigeria will take on Gabon in the first semi final on Thursday while Cameroon will battle D.R. Congo in the second semifinal. Winners of both semis will clash for the African ticket to the Intercontinental playoffs scheduled to hold in Mexico March next year.

Egbe who is the CEO of Monimichelle Sports Facilities Limited, has remained consisted in telling Nigerian football authorities to help Super Eagles maintain their forms in European leagues when they come home to honour national calls by providing quality hybrid pitches across Nigeria.

“The Nigerian Super Eagles are an elite side composed of players nurtured in Europe, where football thrives on speed, precision, and fluid transitions. These players are used to hybrid turf systems — surfaces that allow the ball to move quickly and predictably,” Egbe stressed expertly.

He’s however pained that these Super Eagles are made to struggle when they play for Nigeria due to our poor pitches.

“Let me be clear, this is not a player problem but an infrastructural deficit,” he noted. “The ball behaves differently in Nigeria because our pitches are neither constructed nor maintained to the standards that support elite, fast-paced football,” observed Egbe who is a GMA Certified Groundsman.

According to him, the poor ball movement caused by the country’s 100% natural grass pitches has continued to undermine the performance of the Super Eagles. This, perhaps, may have been responsible why Super Eagles drew three games at home during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Egbe however remains optimistic that Nigerians will see a better performance from the Super Eagles in the playoffs in Morocco because they are going to play in similar turfs to what they have in their clubs in Europe.

To avoid the constant heartaches associated with Super Eagles struggles in home matches, “Nigerian authorities must adopt hybrid turf technologies in stadiums across the country to ensure consistent ball roll, proper traction, and improved safety for players.

“Nigeria must follow suit. We must upgrade our stadium turfs to align with CAF and FIFA standards. This will truly give our Super Eagles the home advantage they deserve. It’s time to stop blaming the players. Let’s fix the ground beneath their boots,” concludes the Monimichelle CEO.