The lack-lustre display of the Super Eagles against the Warriors of Zimbabwe in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers is still fresh on our minds for many obvious reasons.
First is the fact that while all followers of the game emphasized on the need to bag the six maximum points in the window, the Super Eagles somehow carelessly dropped points at home with just three minutes left to play.
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There was also the poor communication gap in the team. The players especially the defenders were not talking to each other enough. It is so sad and so they lost concentration when it mattered most. Players need to communicate and back each other up since the game is a team sport.
How William Troost-Ekong was easily dribbled remains strange but then, other players should have backed him up. It was the keeper, Stanley Nwabali, who moved in trying to narrow the space but it was too late.
Truth be told Ekong, Moses Simon, Wilfred Ndidi and even Alex Iwobi were at the 2018 World Cup and to think that there are no vibrant or younger people to take their place or challenge them to be on their toes is sad. If Ekong has to play, not the 90 minutes. He was tired on the day in question. Ahmed Musa failed to make the cut and maybe some others should have been excluded to get younger legs.
The fighting chance Nigeria has now to clinch ticket to the Mundial is to capitalize on the expected FIFA decision to deduct three points from South Africa for fielding an ineligible player in the last window. Even with that, the Eagles will still have to win all remaining four games including the away game against Bafana Bafana. This is a tough call, very tough.
Other teams ahead of Nigeria are not ready to lose points either and when the FIFA decision comes, Lesotho will move to 4th and Nigeria will go 5th in a group of six. Can the Super Eagles beat Lesotho away?
I have to again commend the superlative efforts of Victor Osimhen who plays all games as if his life depends on each of the games.
The real origin of the problem with the current team is the poor transition system which is prevalent because of the recent poor results being recorded at age-grade levels.
For example, the WAFU B AFCON finals is taking place currently in Morocco and the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria are not there. Let me not talk about the politics of missing out but it is important to emphasise that the Eaglets, the country’s national Under 17 team, are no longer the super power on the continent.
Because these players did not represent at global stage they are just forgotten to rot away. The Osimhen we are celebrating to day was an U-17 product. Same goes for Samuel Chuckueze, Nwankwo Kanu, Celestine Babayaro, Wilson Oruma and a host of others. Osimhen, Victor Ikpeba and Nwankwo Kanu were also products of the Golden Eaglets who later won the CAF African Footballer of the Year award. Ademola Lookman, who is currently the continent’s best, was also a product of U-17 team for England but he later shifted his allegiance to Nigeria.
In Nigeria, there is no support system. Who are the scouts of the Nigeria Football Federation? There should be top coaches bringing the talented ones to the next level. Deliberate efforts should be made so that the last set of U-17 players should not be forgotten despite not making it to represent the country at global stage.
The same goes for the U-20 team expected to compete at the AFCON later this month. There should be a systemic way of injecting them into the senior team.
The U-17 team is the conveyor belt for the senior national team and the last time the team featured at global stage was in 2015 which Nigeria won. With five FIFA World Cup wins, the country holds the best records but the football authorities are not worried about the decline in fortunes of Nigeria in this cadre.
This development has grossly affected the strength of the Super Eagles. Every serious country and top club abroad now flaunt the youngsters in their fold but for Nigeria, it’s the same set of players being used in the past 12 years till date. Only a few players noted in leagues abroad are injected.
The next edition of the Africa Nations Cup comes up in December and deliberate efforts should begin on how the country can win its 4th title. The task of grabbing the ticket to the World Cup is slim but AFCON can still be prepared for adequately.
Going forward, efforts should be made to identify and nurture talents from the age-grade and inject them into the Super Eagles.
