Amaju Pinnick Blames Nigerians for Super Eagles’ 2026 FIFA World Cup Failure
- Former NFF President Amaju Pinnick has blamed Nigerians for the Super Eagles' failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
- The Super Eagles of Nigeria bowed out of the qualifiers during the final of the African playoffs after losing to DR Congo on penalties
- Pinnick has pinned the blame of the team’s failure on Nigerians, for whom he claimed were wishing that the team should fail
The former president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, has blamed Nigerians for the failure of the Super Eagles to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Nigeria had a slow start to the World Cup qualifying campaign with three points from the opening four matches, and it eventually proved to be costly.
Source: Getty Images
Jose Peseiro and Finidi George coached two matches each and left the Super Eagles in a precarious state before the arrival of Eric Chelle in January 2025.
The Franco-Malian guided the team to reach the playoffs and thrashed Gabon 4-1 in the semi-final, but the team lost to DR Congo on penalties in the final.
Nigeria will now sit at home to watch two consecutive World Cups, having also missed the 2022 edition in Qatar after losing to rivals Ghana in the playoffs.
The failure and allegations of mismanagement have led to widespread reactions from Nigerians asking the board of the NFF to step aside.
Nigerian players protesting unpaid bonuses and skipping training 48 hours before their match against Gabon escalated the unpopularity of the NFF.
The NFF quickly stepped in and cleared the backlogs to allow the team to focus, but ultimately, all efforts towards qualifying for the World Cup proved futile.
Pinnick blames Nigerians for Super Eagles' failure
Former NFF president Amaju Pinnick has stylishly blamed the Super Eagles' failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Nigerians.
Pinnick claimed that some Nigerians, out of personal vendetta against the NFF president Ibrahim Gusau and wanting him out of office, prayed for the team to fail.
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“I can tell you today, some people were praying for Nigeria not to qualify because they want Ibrahim Gusau out of the NFF. That is the truth. That is how bad it is,” he said as quoted by Brila.
Source: Getty Images
He added that there must be a reorientation of Nigerians if things will change in the football community of the country after the World Cup failure.
“We must have orientation and reorientation among Nigerians and critical stakeholders. It is very important. People are quick to call others corrupt. It is not like that. Before football, we exist, and after football, we will exist,” he added.
The Super Eagles are now focused on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, which many Nigerians believe not even winning the trophy can atone for missing the World Cup.
Mikel Obi interested in NFF presidency
Legit.ng reported that Mikel Obi declared his intention to run for the NFF presidency amid the growing tensions against the current board of the federation.
The Chelsea legend has been vocal about rooting out corruption in Nigerian football and developing talents and infrastructure in the country.
Source: Legit.ng
