WINGLESS SUPER EAGLES: What a shame! Let the clean-up begin now

By Dr David Olalekan Olanrewaju

Let maine commencement by saying present that a batch of radical person to beryllium blamed, scolded, berated, chided and punished for the existent precarious concern that the formerly redoubtable Super Eagles of Nigeria person recovered themselves successful the 2026 FIFA World Cup African Qualifiers. Nigeria’s Super Eagles’ are presently connected a shocking and incredibly atrocious 11 points aft 8 rounds of matches person been played out, remaining ONLY 2 much matches!

South Africa presently leads the radical with 17 points (although with a imaginable 3 points and 3 goals deduction if recovered blameworthy of fielding an ineligible and suspended player, Midfielder Teboho Mokoena, against Lesotho successful March 2025), followed by West African minnows, Benin Republic, with a full of 14 points, 3 points much than the mighty Super Eagles of Nigeria.

This is shocking and unacceptable to millions of Nigerians and Nigerian shot fans each implicit the world. They argued: How tin the Super Eagles of Nigeria, a self-styled ‘GIANT OF AFRICA’, conflict to suffice for the FIFA World Cup, contempt having immoderate of the champion players connected the continent and besides contempt being placed successful possibly 1 of the easiest groups successful the African Qualifying Series? Well, this writer would emotion to pass and amended the readers of this portion that our occupation did not really commencement today! It started the time we ‘mistakenly’ sacked erstwhile Super Eagles’ Foreign Coach, German Gennart Rohr.

 Rudderless boat

 If you look backmost precise well, you’ll judge and admit this due to the fact that that’s the clip and play that our shot inevitably started losing its glory and absorption and we started operating similar a rudderless boat. It’s unfortunate!

Gennart Rohr mightiness not person fixed america the beautiful, ‘free-flowing’ shot we had wanted, but, helium gave america ‘CONSISTENCY,’ ‘STABILITY,’ and ‘DETERMINATION.’ He gave america THE RESULTS we wanted! He spent a full of 5 years arsenic Super Eagles Head Coach and for the 5 years, helium ALWAYS gave america thing to cheer! When Nigeria was placed successful the aforesaid World Cup qualifying radical with African Football Power Houses and Giants similar Cameroun, Zambia and Algeria, astir Nigerians mislaid the anticipation of a imaginable World Cup ticket. But, against each odds, Gerrart Rohr did the unthinkable and the unbelievable – helium incredibly qualified Nigeria for the 2018 FIFA World Cup successful Russia, with a crippled successful hand, yet unplayed!

It was a singular feat from the German Soccer Tactician!

As if that was not enough, helium took the Super Eagles of Nigeria to the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) successful Egypt and came backmost with a bronze medal. That, to me, is simply a walk mark! Then came the 2022 FIFA World Cup ticket!

Gerrart Rohr had qualified Nigeria for the last thigh of the 2022 FIFA World Cup African Qualifiers and had secured a play-off summons against West African neighbours, Ghana, earlier an administrative blunder and catastrophe struck! Relying connected incorrect proposal and counsel, successful December 2021, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), successful its accustomed trademark mode of making precise hasty and incorrect decisions, wielded the hammer connected Gerrart Rohr and sacked the German Coach.

The NFF claimed past that they weren’t getting the results they wanted from the German Soccer Tactician! And determination started our problems and woes!

Gerrart Rohr packed his container and baggage and left!

What happened next? Nigeria could not QUALIFY for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, having being edged retired by West African neighbors, Ghana, astatine the past signifier of the qualifiers.

It was a precise achy acquisition for Nigerians and Nigerian shot fans and lovers each implicit the world. And since Gerrart Rohr left, Nigeria person not been capable to marque it to the FIFA World Cup again, a contention we hardly missed before, since we made our debut astatine the USA ’94 FIFA World Cup.

Now, it’s astir definite that we could miss the adjacent variation of the FIFA World Cup again, adjacent year! If this happens, it volition beryllium a large stroke to our Football, arsenic things would ne'er stay the aforesaid again!

Well, let’s travel backmost to the existent Coach and Leadership of the Super Eagles of Nigeria. Eric Chelle is the antheral successful complaint present and helium has enactment millions of Nigerians successful a precise apprehensive and inconsolable concern since helium took implicit arsenic the Coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

 Authority

 Since Eric Chelle took implicit arsenic the Coach of th...