2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Sports Editors bemoan S’Eagles poor run

…laments players’ indiscipline, NFF’s ineptitude

The Guild of Sports Editors of Nigeria, the umbrella assemblage of the managers of the sports desks of the country’s media houses, has expressed its disappointment implicit the mode the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has handled the country’s bid to suffice for the 2026 World Cup.

Nigeria is successful 3rd presumption successful Group C of the 2026 World Cup African qualifying bid with 11 points. They are down South Africa (17 Points) and Benin Republic (14 points) with 2 games to go.

The victor of the radical volition suffice automatically for the World Cup to beryllium co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, portion the 2nd placed squad has the accidental of a playoff if it is adjudged arsenic 1 of the 4 champion runners up astatine the completion of the series.

As things stand, Nigeria whitethorn not adjacent suffice for the playoff unless a large catastrophe befalls either South Africa oregon Benin Republic and the Super Eagles triumph their remaining 2 games with precocious people margins.

Reacting to the country’s struggles successful a radical comprising Rwanda, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Benin Republic, the editors said the Super Eagles would not person fallen truthful debased if the managers of the squad planned for occurrence erstwhile the qualification signifier was announced successful 2023.

The Guild successful a connection signed by the its president, Mr Tony Ubani and secretary, Dare Esan, said that it was unfortunate that the radical saddled with the work of starring the country’s complaint for the World Cup dilly-dallied erstwhile decisive enactment was needed and besides allowed indiscipline to ruin the country’s ‘bid to suffice for the top shot amusement connected earth.’

The connection reads: “We watched successful dismay arsenic the NFF wasted truthful overmuch clip successful employing a substantive manager aft doing distant with Mr Jose Peseiro, who could lone gain the state 2 points from 2 games. “The mode the NFF handled the Finidi George debacle did not amusement a federation that knew what to bash to apprehension the country’s fading anticipation of making the 2026 World Cup.  “It is besides unfortunate that the NFF allowed each mode of contented creators to instrumentality implicit the Super Eagles’ campy erstwhile much superior countries barred specified fellows and adjacent their players from going to campy with specified distractions arsenic mobile phones and different gadgets.”

According to the editors, the NFF displayed an embarrassing deficiency of tact by keeping quiescent erstwhile Zimbabwe and Lesotho picked South Africa arsenic venues for their location games, an statement that gave the South Africans immense vantage successful the contention for the World Cup. “With this benignant of arrangement, South Africa was fixed the accidental to play six of its 9 games astatine location and the NFF did not spot thing incorrect with that. “Worse still, our players were allowed to stroll into campy immoderate clip they wished with nary sanctions connected anybody for coming late. Before Nigeria’s past location crippled against Rwanda, the Super Eagles could lone commencement afloat grooming connected Wednesday for the Saturday lucifer due to the fact that Coach Eric Chelle lone had his implicit squad connected that Wednesday. For a state that did not suffice for the past World Cup successful Qatar, this showed that the NFF did not larn thing from the past failure.” On the Super Eagles’ deficiency of alternatives to the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, the Editors called connected the Federal Government to rehabilitate the Abuja and Lagos nationalist stadia, arsenic good arsenic the affiliate facilities successful Kaduna and Enugu, saying that providing alternatives for the squad would person helped rejuvenate their run erstwhile winning games successful Uyo became difficult.

“We mislaid the World Cup summons arsenic the location draws with South Africa, Zimbabwe and Lesotho enactment the run connected jeopardy. This is unfortunate. “To salvage the situation, we telephone connected the Federal Government to assistance the NFF to guarantee that the Super Eagles triumph their past 2 games, which could enactment the state successful a presumption to suffice for the African playoffs arsenic 1 of the champion 4 second-placed teams. The Super Eagles cannot spend to miss different World Cup.”

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