President of the Super Eagles Supporters Club, Vincent Okumagba, said Nigeria did not qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup because of poor team management during the qualifiers, reports PUNCH Sports Extra.
Nigeria is not among the 48 teams in the World Cup, adding to the Super Eagles' absence from the tournament after missing out in 2022 in Qatar.
Okumagba expressed sadness over this disappointment. He noted that the tournament starting without the Super Eagles is painful for fans, especially since this World Cup is being hosted by three countries.
“The World Cup has started without our darling team, the Super Eagles. It hurts so badly because this is a time supporters look forward to. It is even more painful because this is the first time three countries will be hosting,” Okumagba said.
While he recognized the team’s issues during the qualifiers, the supporters’ club president did not blame the players entirely. He pointed to management decisions that hurt the team’s chances.
“However, we cannot put all the blame on the players because we have seen what they can do under the new coach. I think we lost it with the management of the team from the beginning. If we had this quality of coaching crew, we could have qualified even with some games to spare.”
Nigeria struggled in the qualifiers, failing to win any of their first four matches in the ten-game series. After a surprising turn of events where teams lost points due to Eritrea's withdrawal, the Super Eagles made it to the playoffs but lost 4-3 on penalties to DR Congo.
Despite the disappointment, Okumagba encouraged the Super Eagles to learn from this experience. He wants them to tackle the next qualification campaign with more urgency.
“We are not there yet, but I think valuable lessons have been learnt and I will urge the team to amass points as early as possible in the next qualifying series.”
The absence of the three-time African champions has been felt among supporters. Their colorful presence and lively support are missed at major international tournaments.
“Now, some of us are just there supporting any team from Africa that we feel we love. The world will miss us, the world will miss our songs,” he added.
After recent friendly matches, the team is now ranked third in Africa and 26th in the world.
Drop your comment
No comments yet — be the first to drop the gist 👇