President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick has revealed that it would be suicidal if the Super Eagles fail to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be hosted by Qatar.
Pinnick made this known on Friday in an interview on Channels TV’s Sports This Morning, where he appealed to Nigerians to rally behind the senior national team as they commence their sojourn to Qatar later this year.
Nigeria are in Pot 1 for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers ahead of the draws on January 21, 2020, in Cairo, Egypt.
The former Delta State Sports administrator also highlighted the need for all stakeholders and sports-loving Nigerians to help bring tranquillity to the federation, and ignore all distractions which engulfed the NFF in 2019.
“I want to appeal to Nigerians because this year is a very critical year for Nigeria football,” Pinnick said in an interview on Channels TV.
“Nigeria cannot afford not to go to the World Cup, it will be suicidal because we are used to going to the World Cup. It is going to be very bad.
“So, this constant distraction, petition, and the rest, I want to appeal to Nigerians because they know that these are politics and it’s not what they think.
“It is purely destructive and annihilating. The assumption is if we cannot have, then let us destroy it.”
Since their FIFA World Cup debut in 1994, the Super Eagles of Nigeria have qualified for six of the last seven FIFA World Cups, missing only the 2006 edition, and have reached the Round-of-16 three times.