The 2026 FIFA World Cup saw nine out of ten African teams progress to the knockout round, bar Tunisia, raising questions about how well the Super Eagles of Nigeria would've performed if they had qualified, Soccernet.ng reports.
Former Super Eagles and Vikings FK forward Peter Ijeh, instead of faulting the players, has pointed fingers towards the Nigerian Football Federation, revealing several members of the organisation are key factors contributing to the decline of the quality of Nigerian football across all tiers.
The three-time African Champions failed to qualify after losing to DR Congo in the play-offs back in 2025, a situation that could've been avoided if they had won at least one of their opening four fixtures.
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Super Eagles: Peter Ijeh slams NFF for World Cup absence
Although he played just one game for the green and whites, Ijeh opined that the NFF's style of doing things on a whim, alongside a lack of accountability, has set back sports administration in the country.
“The gap [between Nigeria and other African nations] can’t be narrowed at this point in time, why? because the structure has to be in place,” the 49-year-old told Brila.
“Now the problem is when there structure then there will be accountability.”
“Some people are making sure that the structure fails so that nobody can be held to account.
“While the football sector is struggling, a small section of people are profiting; they will do everything to make sure it does not work.
“If you look around Europe, Nigeria has the most learned – exposed, educated – scholars, but we still can’t fix this small fraction of problem.
“This world cup has exposed a lot of things,” the former FC Copenhagen striker concluded.
While many have bashed the NFF, other ex-players like Garba Lawal and Finidi George have raised questions over the decision to hand Eric Chelle a new contract that'll see him take charge of the senior team, as well as the Olympic team.
