After the Super Eagles’ terrible game against South Africa on Tuesday, Nigerians have been wondering if the country still has a chance to get a ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to Saturday Vanguard, our journalist asked numerous Sports Editors in Lagos the same question.
Adekunle Salami, a senior editor of New Telegraph publications, says that Nigeria will not be able to get the World Cup ticket.
He said, “We got this position because we drew five of the eight games.” That’s not how you get to the World Cup. We have had three coaches in these qualifiers, so don’t forget that. How do you persuade the players to work together and understand each other? It’s gone. Let’s put the World Cup behind us and look forward to the Nations Cup in December.
“I won’t join those who say the NFF should be fired because I know what firing the NFF would mean. The best thing they can do is eat the humble pie and quit.
Tana Aiyejina, the Deputy Editor of Punch Newspapers, remarked, “For me, the next two games are dead rubber games, but we must fulfill all righteousness and finish our qualification matches.” We lost our chance to get a World Cup ticket a long time ago, even before Chelle was hired.
“On the NFF, I’ve heard a lot of people ask for the NFF to step down. It’s not about these folks quitting for me. How good are the next group of people who are coming? Are they going to be a group of people who are very good at managing football? Can they help our football get better?
“In other places, it’s normal to leave when you don’t get results. But not here; I don’t see them moving anywhere.
Duro Ikhazuagbe, the Group Sports Editor of Thisday Newspapers, argued that the NFF has to be completely changed.
He said, “People in charge of Nigerian football should not be allowed to keep going.” They don’t know anything about the sport they say they are in charge of.
He said, “Our fate is no longer in our hands because we have lost direct qualification.”
He remarked about the NFF, “I haven’t seen anything they’ve done that hasn’t made our football worse.” They need to leave. The government may make the reforms it needs through Congress. But when I say entire overhaul, I mean that it should start with Congress because that’s where the whole problem starts. If we want to make big changes, we should start with the State FAs, who say they run Nigerian football through congress. We also need to change the congress. We need to stop the process that makes politicians want to take over our football. We need people who know how to run a football business to run Nigerian football, not politicians.
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