Super Eagles Fall From Grace To Grass: Who Should Be Blamed?

The Super Eagles are in danger of missing another World Cup after drawing with South Africa yesterday. While I won’t blame them entirely for the result—because, like it or not, the pitch condition was terrible and even the host country struggled on it—Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the World Cup probably began earlier, with the draws against Zimbabwe and Lesotho, followed by the loss to Benin Republic.

So, who should be blamed for our fall from being the “Giant of Africa” in football to becoming the “Super Chickens,” a team that nations no longer respect, to the point where South Africa had the audacity to give us a tiki-taka pitch? Or did the CAF president allow it simply because he is South African, while our voices were not loud enough to oppose it?

Many people are blaming Eric Chelle for our struggles in the World Cup qualifiers and are even calling for his sack. However, this man has secured 8 points out of a possible 12 in four games. So, who should the blame really fall on? The players? Honestly, as much as we want to criticize them, I can only feel sympathy. Most of them are in their prime and would love to appear at a World Cup, especially since many of them may not make the Super Eagles squad by the next edition. At the very least, even if just to “mark attendance,” you can’t convince me these players don’t want to be there.

So, what exactly is the problem? I believe it stems from constantly changing coaches in every qualifying campaign. A good coach can make great things happen. Take SSC Napoli, for example: in 2023, they won the Scudetto under Luciano Spalletti. However, the following year, after Spalletti left, Napoli—with nearly the same set of key players, only missing Kim Min-jae—finished 10th.

Again, this is not to shift all the blame from Eric Chelle, who is still trying to fix the mistakes of both George Finidi and José Peseiro. The real fault lies with the NFF for failing to secure a competent, stable coach. Until then, the Super Eagles will keep changing coaches like clothes, and consistency will remain a dream