Nigerians demand NFF overhaul after Eagles’ World Cup absence

Calls for a complete overhaul of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) leadership are intensifying after the Super Eagles missed out on qualifying for a second consecutive FIFA World Cup. Football stakeholders are urging the current NFF board to accept responsibility and step aside as the federation approaches its next electoral cycle.

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Honestly, I agree with any action that will bring good to the football house, even if it is an overhaul. Honestly, we just need a change. We cannot continue to do the same thing and expect different results.

Former Nigeria international Abiodun Obafemi, a 1996 Olympic gold medallist, expressed support for any measure that could restore sanity to Nigerian football. "We cannot continue to do the same thing and expect different results," Obafemi stated. He lamented the loss of the "fear factor" opponents once had when facing Nigeria, emphasizing that the country, once considered Africa's number one football nation, is losing its global respect.

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Last World Cup before this, we were not there. If you look at the calibre of players we had, we should be there. Even if it is two teams from Africa, Nigeria should be there. We are number one football nation in Africa, and everyone knows the reason why we are struggling, and whatever measure that will bring us back, we should take it. We are losing the respect that we had, that fear factor most of these nations have when facing us is gone. Whatever will bring back those glory days, I am for it 100 per cent.

Echoing these sentiments, former Green Eagles captain and 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winner Segun Odegbami described the situation as "very, very sad." He argued that Nigeria should consistently be among the top African qualifiers for the World Cup, and missing two consecutive tournaments is a "sad commentary on the state of our football." Odegbami stressed that the blame lies squarely with the current administration.

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This is a very, very sad situation for us. There is no reason on earth that Nigeria should not have been one of 10 African countries that went to that World Cup. As Nigerians, we should be one of the top one or two, not outside the top 10. Nobody can justify that. To miss back-to-back World Cups is a sad commentary on the state of our football.

"We are doing things that are not right, and we keep repeating them while expecting different results. It cannot happen," Odegbami asserted. He added that the lack of enthusiasm surrounding the ongoing World Cup in Nigeria reflects the profound disappointment caused by the Super Eagles' absence, urging the government to address the systemic issues plaguing the sport.

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We cannot put the blame at the footsteps of anybody else but the administration that is in charge. As a country, we need to look at that place. That is where the whole issue is. We are doing things that are not right, and we keep repeating them while expecting different results. It cannot happen.