Tinubu Gets Special Super Eagles Jersey amid Nigeria's FIFA World Cup Boost against DR Congo: "001"

• Shehu Dikko has gifted President Tinubu a special Super Eagles jersey for supporting sports development in Nigeria
• Dikko met with the president amid Nigeria's hopes for the 2026 FIFA World Cup recovery, boosted by a CAF executive member controversy
• This is as the Mauritius Football president called for the removal of the CAF Secretary General over alleged irregularities in player eligibility

State House, Abuja - The chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House in Abuja on Thursday, February 19.

This was disclosed in a tweet by Dada Olusegun, the special assistant to the president on social media.

Olusegun said Dikko, after an audience with the president, presented him with a special Super Eagles jersey as a symbol of appreciation for backing sports development in Nigeria.

"Chairman of National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, after an audience with the President Tinubu, presents a special Super Eagles jersey to PBAT as a symbol of appreciation for backing sports development in Nigeria," the presidential aide posted on X alongside the video of President Tinubu holding the jersey.

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The jersey, the white version of the Super Eagles' official jersey, has an inscription: "President C-inC 001."

Is Nigeria's World Cup hope revived?

Though the details of the meeting were not disclosed, Legit.ng notes that it comes amid the trending reports of Nigeria's hope of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup receiving a major boost following a move by an executive member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Recall that the Nigeria Football Federation filed a petition against the Leopard of DR Congo on December 15, over the alleged use of an ineligible player numbering six during the African playoff final at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Morocco last November.

The Super Eagles lost 4-3 to DR Congo on penalties after extra time, a result that denied the three-time AFCON winner any chance of playing at the intercontinental play-offs in Mexico next March. This is after Nigeria had failed to secure the only slot in the CAF qualification Group C after finishing second place behind the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.

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The NFF argues that the clearance process for these players contained irregularities and that DR Congo may have submitted incomplete documentation when seeking approval for their participation. While Nigeria awaits FIFA's decision on the petition, the NFF and the National Sports Commission advised the general public to avoid falling for or spreading misinformation.

Meanwhile, the president of the Mauritius Football Association, Samir Sobha, has now called for the removal of the Secretary General of the Confederation of African Football, Véron Mosengo-Omba. Mosengo-Omba is a citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo and is currently under fire for his alleged role in ensuring the petition submitted by the NFF is not handled properly.

According to the Guardian, Sobha claimed that Mosengo-Omba is occupying the position of CAF Secretary General illegally and lacks the mandate to continue.

He said:

“I don’t think that the SG is in any legal position to make decisions, to sign a document. I’m pleading with the president to rectify this position. We need to respect the statutes.”

According to FIFA, Mosengo-Omba, 61, was appointed CAF Secretary General after leaving his position as Chief Officer of the FIFA member associations (MAs) division in 2021. Sobha urged the leadership of CAF to rectify the position in accordance with the status.

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He said:

“Retirement is governed by our rules and regulations. We deal with those things not just in accordance with legality, but also with governance. We will take the best decision as CAF, concerning employees."

2026 World Cup: FG reacts ahead of key FIFA ruling

In a related development, Legit.ng reported that the federal government outlined how sports authorities and the NFF will respond to FIFA’s decision on the petition filed against the DR Congo national football team.

"Everything the NFF are doing is in collaboration with the sports commission as our agency," Dikko said.

"As government, we have played our role, it is not that we are sore losers; it is all about the rules."

Source: Legit.ng