By Ernest Osogbue
We understand that feelings are still raw, and Nigerians are still smarting from the failure of the Super Eagles, their darling team, to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This is despite the efforts of the government to mobilize and motivate the players to overcome the final hurdles. Without dwelling too much in the past, we must begin to move quickly ahead to ensure success in the upcoming AFCON.
After the Super Eagles missed out on automatic qualification following a nondescript campaign, supporters were given hope that the team would make it via the playoffs. It was clear that even FIFA and CAF, supported Nigeria to qualify, with their actions and inactions during and after the main qualifiers.
This is evidenced by the rash of appointments involving Nigerians into positions in CAF and FIFA, by Gianni Infantino and Patrice Motsepe, the FIFA and CAF presidents, just before the qualifiers ended. Amaju Pinnick, Ibrahim Gusau, Aisha Falode and Abdulkareem Mustapha, were beneficiaries of these appointments, which show that both CAF and FIFA, were deliberately courting Nigeria. Not only that, the rules set out by both bodies for qualification into the playoffs, clearly favored Nigeria, over teams and countries that performed better in the qualifiers. Countries like Uganda, Burkina Faso, and Madagascar, which finished second in their qualifying groups, actually did better than Nigeria overall, but Nigeria made it into the playoffs ahead of them following the CAF criteria for qualifying for the playoffs.
Despite all of that, maladministration, unseriousness, inconsistencies, incompetence and a lack of focus, combined to rob Nigerians of the joy of having their national flag hoisted, and their darling team, the Super Eagles, feature at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Incidentally, since 1994, when Nigeria first qualified for the FIFA World Cup, this is the first time the country would be missing two World Cup tournaments in a row, having failed to qualify for Qatar 2022. Another point of note is that having been given this window to qualify by CAF and FIFA, the Super Eagles preferred to boycott training on the eve of the game against Gabon. Rather than focus on the bigger picture, the players became pawns in the battle of supremacy between the NFF and the National Sports Commission, NSC. How could a man carrying the carcass of an elephant on his shoulders be scratching the ground with his feet for crickets? It is shameful to say that the Super Eagles players were more interested in pecuniary issues of allowances than in the bigger picture of qualifying for the World Cup. What a shame!
The most painful aspect of the whole scenario, is that Nigeria was actually placed in a relatively easy qualifying group, with Lesotho, Benin, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Unfortunately, official greed and lack of focus prevented the NFF, from kicking off the qualifiers on a serious note. An easy opening fixture against Lesotho in Uyo was bungled by the team. From information we received, players arrived for that first camp with their girlfriends and other distractions in tow. By the end of the game, the Eagles could only manage a draw. This was an ominous signal, yet, those concerned refused to heed the warning.
We do not wish to rehash the entire painful qualification process, which exposed the NFF as not being on top of its game, and on top of the situation from the start. We’ll point out just two issues that exposed the nonchalance of the NFF. First is the fact that the NFF failed to lay out the ground rules for the players before they came to camp. It becomes clear that they simply invite the players, send them their flight tickets, and that’s it. If not, why would the players arrive camp with their wives or girlfriends without clearance? We all know that the presence of wives and girlfriends, WAGS, is an issue that must be discussed with the federation before being allowed. Secondly, the appointment of Finidi George, was done without the input of the players. The NFF took it for granted that since George was assistant to Jose Peseiro over a period of time, he would easily be accepted by the players. This assumption backfired, exposing the NFF as a group of persons who lack close interaction with the players. The altercation between star player Victor Osimhen, and George, would have been avoided. It soon became clear after his appointment, that Finidi George, was not very comfortable with, not just Victor Osimhen, but with a few other players in the squad. An NFF on top of its game would have smelled out these issues, and either moved to resolve them before appointing George, or would have appointed someone else. This issue caused the Eagles to drop 4 points in the two games that George oversaw before his resignation.
All through the qualifying series, different issues prevented the Eagles from operating at their optimum. One obvious fact that emerged from all of that, however, is how invaluable Victor Osimhen is to the team. A careful observer would note that the team only does well when Osimhen is on the pitch. The away loss against Benin, and the draw away to South Africa, stand out in one’s mind. The final piece of the puzzle was completed in the playoff final, when the absence of the Galatasaray frontman in the second half, against the DRC, exposed the frailities in the Super Eagles. Without him the rest of the team was running around uncoordinated like a headless chicken. Without a doubt, the failed 2026 World Cup qualification has shown to Nigerians that without Victor Osimhen, the Super Eagles are a toothless bulldog.
Since the days of Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami, Stephen Keshi, and the other captains of the Super Eagles, the captaincy of the team has usually been based on seniority. Seniority in this sense, is not about age, but about when one was first invited to the national team. That is why William Troost-Ekong, took over from Ahmed Musa, and why Wilfred Ndidi, stands in, when Troost-Ekong is unavailable. While I do not have a problem with this arrangement, I believe, however, that every system deserves a review after a period of operations. For over 40 years now, the above system has been in operation. In recent times, however, Nigerians have noticed the vacuum usually created in the team when Victor Osimhen is not around. His teammates struggle for motivation, the team plays disjointedly, and is uncoordinated. It is only when Osimhen is on the pitch that the Super Eagles begin to bite. I believe that the time has come for the captaincy of the Super Eagles, and other national teams, to be based on performance and ability, as is done in other countries.
As we ignore the fake apology from the NFF to the president, and to Nigerians, we must begin to look ahead. If the Super Eagles are to do well at the upcoming AFCON, as a way to assuage the feelings of Nigerians over the World Cup fiasco, it is my candid opinion that the captains armband of the team be handed to Victor Osimhen. As of now, Osimhen is the motivator-in-chief of the team, he’s the lynchpin, the top goalscorer, as well as the most feared player by opposing teams. His absence gives our opponents confidence, while his presence strikes fear into their hearts. I believe that as a matter of urgency, the NFF, must begin to show pragmatism, by not standing aloof on this matter. A meeting must be convened between them and the technical crew of the Super Eagles, where the decision to hand over the captaincy of the Super Eagles to Osimhen must be ratified.
This would be a great step towards reviving and motivating the team for the next task; which is to capture the 2025 AFCON title and wipe away the many tears of Nigerians over the failed 2026 World Cup qualification.
