Former Captain of the Super Eagles, Sunday Oliseh, has said 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 radio on Monday that for Nigeria to miss two World Cups in a back-to-back fashion 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 talk with the Sports Radio.
He insisted that there is nowhere 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 event, damages the country’s football progress.
Oliseh said, “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,” the former Super Eagles captain said.
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.
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