Waiting for a new NFF

After failing to qualify for Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, Italy are on the brink of becoming the first former winners to miss out on three consecutive tournaments. It must be mentioned they did beat England to win the Euros in the midst of that in 2020 but that has proved an outlier.

Italy must win two play-off games, starting with a home semi-final against Northern Ireland on Thursday, to reach this summer's World Cup. It must also be noted here that Italy encountered this spell after lifting the trophy at the 2006 World Cup, beating a star-studded France team - including Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry - on penalties in a remarkable final in Berlin, Germany, to become only the second nation to win the World Cup for a fourth time.

Whereas the French and the Italians have relied on their structured leagues from the amateur to the senior cadres for replacements to rebuild their different sides, our NFF chieftains in collaboration with the Lilliputian coaches they employ depend on Diaspora kids, who most times aren't good enough to play for the countries of their births. Indeed, the French and Italians have addressed the issues surrounding their squads' coaching crew by recruiting top rated tacticians to reengineer the teams back to winning ways - France FF have sealed a deal with Zidane, giving him four years within which he would have gotten the right mix with his new players if any and those he still finds good enough to suit his style of play.

Rather than accept the fact that Nigeria's flag won't be hoisted among the comity of nations at the 2026 World Cup to be co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States of America (USA), our football chieftains are still deluding themselves that the Super Eagles can still qualify for the 2026 Mundial through the backdoor - relying on CAS to rule in Nigeria's favour over a protest which was filed out of time and not paid for, according to the committee that looked into the propriety of the now lost protest against DR Congo for fielding ineligible players against Nigeria at the Intercontinental playoffs for Africa held in Morocco, which the Eagles lost on penalties.

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However, the NFF should be commended for securing friendly matches for the Super Eagles in the March 2026 FIFA-free window to keep our players busy, unlike in the past where such fixtures get to be read or heard in the media, with no games played.

Sadly, the NFF Congress met in Bayelsa last Monday where a nine points submission by way of a communiqué was released, which offered nothing meaningful for the beautiful game to grow beyond praises for themselves whilst Nigerians rein curses on them for preparing them for another World Cup without Super Eagles participating.

The eighth point stated that: ‘'The Congress approved a proposal by the Executive Committee for the staging of the 2026 Elective Congress of the Nigeria Football Federation in Lafia, Nasarawa State on Saturday, 26th September 2026.''

Whilst the ninth point stated that: ‘'A unanimous vote of confidence was passed on the NFF Executive Committee, led by its President, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, for their ongoing efforts in robustly developing the game of football across the length and breadth of Nigeria.''

Obviously, those who approved the nine-point communiqué must think that Nigerians don't understand the dynamics of participating in the World Cup at the senior level and its attendant financial rewards for both players and the country.

One would have thought that Nigeria's failure to qualify for the second consecutive Mundial would have dominated suggestions from Congressional members, especially against the fact that there are plans to appeal against FIFA's verdict on DR Congo's violation of the competition. One would have thought that FIFA's revelation that Nigeria's protest against the Congolese was filed out of time and not paid for was grievous enough for a mention and punishments meted on those found culpable. Indeed, it won't be out of place to interrogate the whole exercise to find how it was possible for Nigeria to make such basic legal mistakes?

How do we sit and allow those in charge of the game to goad us about a likely World Cup appearance, only to make a mockery of their folly? Isn't it equally more disturbing that these people are thinking about an appeal to CAS over a protest that failed simple legal procedures? The intercontinental playoffs for the remaining two slots at the 2026 World Cup are ongoing, with our soccer chiefs deluding themselves that CAS would give the ticket to Nigeria at the boardroom. It is almost impossible since CAS' judgment would be heard after the World Cup would have ended.

One only hopes that the impending court cases don't cause delays which may again lead to FIFA big men coming to the country to supervise another election. Of course, there would be compromises with the government dictating the terms. What a country!

Let's hope that by September 26, the elections would hold with the contending blocs agreeing to sheathe their swords for the good of the game here. Our focus in the coming months should be how we plan to grab the 2030 World Cup ticket with at least two matches to spare. We also pray fervently that the new people to administer the game in the future do so from the prism of business, not leisure, when funding is 100 per cent governments.