So many things are happening almost at the same time in Nigerian sports. The Olympic Games are here with just about two weeks to the event slated for Paris, France. During the week, the Ministry of Sports presented the 87-man team comprising 25 men and 62 women to the Nigeria Olympic Committee. The athletes are currently on tour in various parts of Europe and it is expected they will move to France from their respective bases for the Games of the 33rd Olympiad.
In the weeks ahead, the discussions will be on the Olympic Games but today, I want to look at the trending issues around the biggest sports brand in Nigeria, the Super Eagles, and by extension, the Nigeria Football Federation, the administrative body in charge of the round leather game in the country.
I recall the days in which every match of the Super Eagles is considered won even before kick-off. Victory is assured but the only suspense is the final core of each game. Eagles score goals with reckless abandon and they also defend like intelligent soldiers in the battle field. I don’t want to mention names. Eagles consistently play as a unit with so much cohesion and the commitment of the players were always evident the way they play. In difficult situations, you see the urgency in the players and the eagerness to ensure results are delivered in friendly matches, qualifying games and high-profile competitions.
When the Super Eagles qualified for their first World Cup in the USA in 1994, they went to the competition as champions of Africa and nobody gave them a chance. In the first match, Nigeria dispatched highly-rated Bulgaria 3-0, beat Greece 2-0 and only lost narrowly 2-1 to Italy in the second round stage. Almost the same bunch of players went to the Olympic Games two years later in Atlanta and clinched the gold medal in the football event after beating Brazil and Argentina.
At the time, these players (Eagles) delivered results with little preparation and motivation. Friendly matches were not prevalent, it was only a media issue but when the competitive matches came, Eagles were always determined and committed to grind out results. Nigerians had full trust in the team.
Today, the talents in the country are even more than the old times we are talking about. More of players are exposed to modern training techniques in their various clubs and they are as good as their counterparts around the world.
However, the results are not coming in for Nigeria. Eagles struggle in most games against lesser rated teams. The federation owed the players a backlog of bonuses in the run-in to the AFCON which took place in January and it was the N14bn released by the Federal Government that the federation used to pay part of the debts being owed players, officials and service providers. One wonders what the federation does with all the sponsorship packages from various organisations. The former President of the NFF, Amaju Pinnick, on many occasions told newsmen that the NFF was close to 80 percent self-sufficiency. Why the body still complains about money under the leadership of Ibrahim Gusau is still a surprise.
Despite finishing as runners-up in the last AFCON, the Eagles are currently in bad shape, very bad! Nigeria is fifth in a group of six teams in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The country is on the verge of missing the FIFA World Cup back-to-back. The delay in the employment of a coach to take over from Jose Peseiro was one of the major reasons why Eagles fell short in the last two matches played in which Nigeria played 1-1 with South Africa and lost 2-1 to Benin Republic.
All these shortcomings are happening at a time expectations are high from fans of the game. For the qualifiers for the next AFCON, Nigeria has been drawn to play Benin Republic again along with Libya and Rwanda. Sadly, Nigerians are not confident about the chances of the team; I am not sure too. One month after the NFF decided to go for a foreign coach, none has been named as I write this piece while there is so many internal wrangling in the team. The overall commitment of the players while on national duty is suspect and there is urgent need to make this current bunch know the essence of putting on the colours of Nigeria.
It is so bad that many Nigerians cannot boast about the chances of the Eagles winning any game just as many do not trust the federation about providing the enabling template for the players to excel.
Winning back the trust of Nigerians is a tough call that will take time after the string of poor results, administrative ineptitude and uncertainties.