“Renewed Hope” NFF President Sends Strong Message to Nigerians Ahead of 2026 World Cup Playoffs
- President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Ibrahim Gusau has sent a reassuring message to Super Eagles fans ahead of their match against Gabon
- Nigeria beat Benin Republic 4-0 in their final 2026 World Cup qualifying match to secure a spot in next month's playoffs
- Gusau said the Super Eagles have gotten the necessary support from President Bola Tinubu to secure the World Cup ticket
NFF President Ibrahim Gusau said preparations are in top gear for the Super Eagles ahead of their 2026 World Cup playoffs against Gabon on November 13.
Nigeria finished second position with 17 points in the CAF qualification group C after thrashing Benin Republic 4-0.
Gusau speaks on Chelle
NFF president Ibrahim Gusau said most Nigerians did not believe in Eric Chelle when the federation unveiled him as coach of the men's senior national team.
In a viral post on X, the Chairman of Zamfara State Football Association said the Franco-Malian has justified his signing by recording an impressive outing during the World Cup qualifiers and international friendlies.
Gusau said Nigeria could have secured the automatic ticket if the previous coaches had performed well during the first four matches. The NFF supremo said:
"Eric came in despite the fact that a lot of people have some reservation, they ask how do we got to that and that, but thank God till now at least he has justified to Nigerians why he can be the coach of the Super Eagles because forgetting about the all friendly matches and other things we talk about the World Cup qualifiers, he handled six matches, won four and drew two.
"Whereby, if we had some little resemblance of that in the first four matches, we could not have been where we are today."
"There were a lot of issues, three coaches managing a lot of people say that, but they don’t want to really talk about how did it happen. It’s a necessity that we can’t do otherwise.
"But we thank God we are here and we are going to work hard to make sure that at least we get to the ultimate desired goal."
Tinubu behind Super Eagles - Gusau
Ibrahim Gusau said the Nigeria Football Federation are getting all the necessary support from the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The NFF president said the National Sports Commission (NSC) are doing everything possible to ensure Nigeria have good preparations ahead of the 2026 World Cup playoffs in Morocco. He said:
"I don't have any element of doubt from our own side, we are getting all the cooperation from the Federal Government through the National Sports Commission to ensure that we have good preparation for the two playoff matches and by the grace of God, I know we are going to succeed and move forward to the inter-continental playoffs.
"We are aware of the countries that we are going to play with, and we are also aware of the venue. So as I’m talking to you right from today, we have even started preparation for that."
Nigeria will take on Gabon in the 2026 World Cup playoffs against Gabon on November 13, per beIN Sports.
Mouyouma wants to upset Nigeria
Legit.ng earlier reported that Gabon manager Thierry Mouyouma believes his players are ready to take on the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the playoff.
The former Ajax Cape Town star said the playoff would serve as a build-up match to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) coming up in Morocco next November.
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Source: Legit.ng
