*Says: If Nigeria does not qualify for the next World Cup, and the people running football in Nigeria are still in their positions, then we don’t even deserve to qualify for the next one (in 2030)

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Former Captain of the Super Eagles, Sunday Oliseh, has insisted that the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will have no business staying a day longer should the Super Eagles fail to qualify back-to-back FIFA World Cups.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles are fourth in standing in the run up to the 2026 World Cup to be hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico. South Africa lead the Group C log on 13 points with Rwanda and Benin Republic on eight points each with Nigeria on seven points. Lesotho are on six points with  Zimbabwe propping up the table on four points.

Oliseh who is a FIFA Technical Study Group member told  BrilaFM radioyesterday  that for Nigeria to miss two World Cup in a row would amount to a huge setback for the country’s football.

“If Nigeria does not qualify for the next World Cup, and the people running football in Nigeria are still in their positions, then we don’t even deserve to qualify for the next one,” began Oliseh in the chat with the Sports Radio.

He insisted that there is no where in the world that the leadership of a football federation will miss two World Cup and they still stay in the saddle.

“If, as an administration, you fail to qualify for two consecutive World Cups—which are worth hundreds of millions of (dollars)  to a country’s football industry—there is nowhere in the world where such leadership would remain in place.”

In his opinion, such missed opportunity for Nigeria’s  national team to join the rest of the world in the four yearly mundial, damages the country’s football progress.

In Oliseh’s words:  “Every four years that you don’t qualify for the World Cup, your football goes back eight years. That is how it works.”

Oliseh was on duty in Qatar 2022 and was in pains missing his country’s team in action. It will even be worse with Africa having nine slots without Nigeria.

The former Juventus and Borussia Dortmund star insisted further that the country’s football cannot be driving in the opposite direction and expect to reap gains.

“You cannot keep driving the same way towards Badagry and expect to find yourself in Sokoto. It can’t happen. You are going in the opposite direction,” he emphasised.

He however said that it was not over yet for the Super Eagles to still qualify for the 2026 World Cup. South Africa risks losing three points deduction by FIFA for fielding an ineligible player (Teboho Mokoena) against Lesotho. If that happens, Bafana Bafana will be reduced to 10 points before this September’s two qualifiers.

“Although I still believe we can qualify, failing to do so will kill our football. Something drastic must be done,” stressed the former Super Eagles Captain.

Super Eagles missed the last World Cup in Qatar after failing to beat Ghana in the final game of the qualifying series in Abuja. 

Failure by Super Eagles to win their first two games under Finidi George watch led to the exit of the ex international from the job. 

A last minute equaliser against Nigeria by Zimbabwe in Uyo has further put pressure on Eagles ahead of the two matches this month against Rwanda this week in the Akwa Ibom capital and three days later against Bafana Bafana in Bloemfontein.

Meanwhile, Captain William Troost-Ekong, Bruno Onyemaechi and goalkeeper Amas Obasogie were amongst the early arrivals at the Super Eagles training camp in Uyo yesterday ahead of Saturday’s World Cup showdown against Rwanda. The Super Eagles camp officially opened on Monday.

There are serious concerns that several players may be delayed as they try to sort out their transfers across Europe. The players include Ademola Lookman, Cyriel Dessers, Tolu Arokodare, Chrisantus Uche and Samuel Chukwueze.  

Arokodare and Victor Boniface sealed moves away to other teams on transfer deadline day yesterday. Arokodare is on four-year deal at Wolves while Boniface moved to Werder Bremen on season-long loan deal.

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