Burkina Faso Star defender Steeve Yago has questioned Nigeria’s Super Eagles qualification to Africa’s 2026 FIFA World Cup playoffs.
Burkina Faso thought their 3–1 win over Ethiopia had sealed a playoff spot until the final table showed the Super Eagles edging them out on superior goals.
After struggling to score goals in the course of the qualifiers, the Super Eagles eventually found their scoring boots thanks to a 4-0 hammering of Benin Republic on matchday 10 in Uyo on Tuesday.
The big win was enough to seal the playoffs spot after South Africa finished top of Group C thanks to a 3-0 win against Rwanda.
Reacting to his country losing their place to the Super Eagles Yago took to Instagram to voice his frustration.
“Honestly, it’s strange,” he wrote. “You win your matches against the weakest team in your group, and yet Nigeria is ahead of you, even though they didn’t even beat Zimbabwe, the bottom side in their group. Apparently, beating the last-placed team is too conventional. Thank you, CAF and FIFA!”
CAF had published the rules for second placed teams back in March, 2025, after Eritrea’s withdrawal from the qualifiers meant Group E had one team fewer.
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles will take on Gabon in the semi-final of the African playoffs on November 13 in Morocco.
The other semi-final playoff is between Indomitable Lions of Cameroon and Democratic Republic of Congo.
One team is a expected to emerge from the Africa and will proceed to the Incontinental playoffs billed for March 2026 in Mexico.
By James Agberebi
56 Comments
I also didn’t make sense of it initially but after given it a deeper thought , I think I agree with CAF & FIFA. God has surely decided to relocate his headquarter to Nigeria.
Our player just gat do their part henceforth and no more loose guarding so as to make sense of all this luck to the end.
Honestly, CAF (and by extension FIFA) needs to do better.
I know Nigerians are happy now that the rules benefit them, but the same charlatans will come back and claim CAF hates Nigeria, FIFA hates Nigeria when things don’t go our way.
A team calls players to camp, flies them from their bases and back, trains, flies the team for away games, wins on the pitch home and away, and then you scrape 6 points off them simply bcos 1 team from elsewhere withdrew even b4 a ball was kicked in the Qualifiers……Putting emotions and sentiments aside, It really doesn’t make sense looking at it now in hindsight.
To add salt to the injury, another team now had the advantage of getting to play their own game after yours, when they knew they had to get so and so number of points and so and so number of goals to qualify ahead of you.
And then the team that couldn’t beat the last-placed team in their group home or away qualifies ahead of you.
Everything about it violates the essence of football, which is fair play. CAF is simply telling us that playing 2 draws is more desirable than winning home and away.
In case of next time, when a team withdraws, their matches should be treated as walkovers…..3 points and 3 goals to be awarded to the opposing team, in so far the opponents pitch up for the game. And in the case of WCQ play-offs, all 2nd-placed teams should qualify for the playoffs and go knock themselves out in a knockout tournament. That will douse all these unnecessary controversies. In the current case where we have 9 2nd placed teams, the team with the best points haul, like Gabon with 25 points, qualifies automatically for the final playoff. This will reward excellence more than reward mediocrity, as is the current case. Cos a team that didnt even get 20 points qualified automatically for the World cup.
I really feel for teams that feel robbed. It now feels like it was a crime for them to have defeated the bottom-placed teams in their groups. With 21 points, you don’t qualify for the playoffs, but teams with 17 points qualify…..all because you committed the “Crime” of beating your opponent home and away. That is one thing even Nigerians wouldn’t accept if it didn’t favour them.
NB: This comment is for intelligent people, buffons who cannot see beyond their nostrils, and their sentiments should just pass by like they never existed in the first place.
Ogbeni we won’t pass by kankan, if you make sense, we will applaud you and on this you sure did. I mean CAF & FIFA makes winning look like crime but again the rule has been set since March not like they did it at the tale end of the qualifier, so the rule wasn’t made with the intention of favoring any team, the code is to try and WIN ur group, yes it favor my dear country and I will take it 100%.
Hahahaha, the category of people I say should pass has said they won’t pass. See me see wahala o.
One minute you agree with CAF and FIFA, the next minute “….they make winning look like crime “……LMAOooo.
Have some balls and integrity and stay in one place.
Did the qualifiers start in March….?? Who makes rules in the middle of a tournament if not an incompetent arbiter?
And what about the final games…? Why were potential teams in “2nd place” made to play their matches are different times, giving an advantage to one over the other? Was there not a playoff table at the end of the 9th match in the series….? Why were teams on that table made to play at different times…??
Bunch of hypocrites…. It’s the same group of people who were questioning why SA was allowed to play 7 home matches that are now coming to dance that an unfair rule has favored their country and will take it 100%……..LMAOoooo.
Let me ever hear any of you complain again when another CAF or FIFA mal-regulation doesn’t favour Nigeria…….LMAOooo.
Meanwhile, I’ve posted your request on a 2nd thread for almost 24hrs now o. I see how you have tactically maneuvered away from it……LMAOooo……. I am sure you will claim you didn’t see it, also in that other thread.
Once again, that comment of mine is for intelligent people, buffons who cannot see beyond their nostrils, and their sentiments should just pass by like they never existed in the first place.
I’ve moved from the one u are unable to provide where I typed 3/5, ur long epistle reply didnt add up.
Yes I’ve not seen ur reply to the other challenge where I asked you to canter my 80% been an aprox. Percentage for 11/15 and with $1000 up for you.
I’m not going to be staying or search for a thread bcos of you son, post ur answer on a more recent thread where everybody can see it.
Lastly I’ve condemned FIFA & CAF for the bottom table team point deduction way before now okay, but again it favor me and my dear country and I will take it,m. The one that didn’t favor us nko? Has CAF or FIFA ever changed it even if we complain?
Hahahahaha…….you have not seen your bunch of craps I have re-posted based on your request on 2 different threads………LMAOooo.
But when it is time to come and bark at Dr.Drey’s comments, you will see them in upper case abi……LMAoooo
Awon 3/5 = 80% win rate………LMAOooo
You are not going to stay and search a thread…….but you could stay and search the thread to remind me that Ive not re-posted your rubbish arithmetics, abi……..LMAOooo.
I posted it on the 2 thread on which you asked, just 2 hrs after you asked, but the cheap liar in you claims you didn’t see it just as a way to save face …….LMAOooo.
May you never see it then.
I am not your puppet.
$1000 my foot…..!!! Go and use it to re-enroll yourself for arithmetic and integrity lessons.
If you like offer, $100,000, everyone has seen you are nothing but a charlatan who cannot calculate the simplest of arithmetics like win ratios.
3 wins and 2 draws in 5 matches is approx. 80% win ratio………LMAOoooo
Hahahahahaa….11/15 is approx 80% in your own village abi….??
Win rate or Win ratio is calculated using points and not using the number of wins again to the total number of matches played abi….? LMAOooo.
Continue twisting and turning around to save face, the more you twist the deeper you will sink.
CSN kindly leave this on your Latest Comments section for as long as possible so that that blind lying bat can finally see it………LMAOooo. The cheap liar who calls himself FEMI will claim he didn’t see this.
Otherwise, He will claim
“……I’ve moved from the one u are unable to provide, where I typed 3/5, ur long epistle reply didn’t add up. Yes, I’ve not seen ur reply….”
OR
“….I’m not going to be staying or searching for a thread bcos of you son, post ur answer on a more recent thread where everybody can see it….”
But when it is time to bark at Dr. Drey’s comments, he will search all the way to jupiter and reply for as many times as he can……..LMAOooo
Dear FEMI Olodo rairai
My 1st reply to your resquest was on the Nigeria-Benin Live blog on October 15, 2025, 12:46 am…….LMAOooo….the last time I checked the reply is still there.
My 2nd reply was on the Super Eagles 4-0 win vs Benin Not Enough As South Africa Clinch World Cup Ticket blog on October 15, 2025 7:14 pm. That one too is till there
How you claim not to see them, and then turn around to still claim you dont have time to go searching, yet you comment on the same thread hours after, would beat even Albert Einstein. Not only are you brain-blind, you are also eyes-blind …….LMAOoooo
Yet you want to dash out money you don’t have, when you need the money for surgery in both eyes…….LMAOoooo.
Below were your own words…….
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Femi on October 13, 2025 5:26 pm
And same u glorifying Rohr 60% WIN RATIO want the head of Chelle with almost 80% WIN RATE with 11/15 score in the qualifier and YET TO LOSE A MATCH WITH THE EAGLE. Continue with ur double standard, okay.
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Femi on October 14, 2025 8:52 am.
Read to comprehend and not to attack dude, “emphasis on qualifier “ and Nt the entire matches he has coached us, 3 WIN AND 2 DRAWS FROM 5 MATCHES IS APPROX. 80%, stop with ur ITK attitude it sucks. Common.
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Cheap shameless liar…..Congratulations on successfully disgracing yourself.
1. You mentioned WIN RATE……..that is clear even to the blind. Before giving his POINTS RECORDS (rather than WIN records) in the qualifiers as a backup to your WIN RATE assumption. And dont even try twisting your way out bcos it is simple English language
“……. same u glorifying Rohr 60% WIN RATIO want the head of Chelle with almost 80% WIN RATE with 11/15 score in the qualifier and yet to lose a match with the eagle….”
You can choose to feign ignorance of what you wrote there, or go give a lawyer your $1000 to interpret it to you properly.
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2. You even went as far a claiming he’s yet to lose a match with the Eagles……LMAOoo….as if it was the Eagles of Mali he coached at CHAN when Senegal and Sudan walloped us.
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3. To rub salt on your injury, you desperately dropped another clanger with “3 WIN AND 2 DRAWS FROM 5 MATCHES IS APPROX. 80%”……….LMAOoooo. Only your creator knows what you were trying to calculate there…….LMAOoooo. Come and explain to us how 3wins and 2 draws in 5 matches equals approximately 80% WIN RATIO.
Win ratio (or win rate as you ignorantly called it) EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD is calculated by dividing the number of wins by the number of matches played (3/5 as in the case of Chelle as at the Lesotho game). There is nowhere WIN RATIO is calculated with points gathered. Go to school, no, they will say school is a scam, only to come and disgrace themselves in public with blind arguments.
When you saw you had goofed with your 80% nonsense, you tried saving your face from disgrace by sneaking draws into it just to find a way of making up your phantom 80% win ratio…….LMAOOooo.
When you saw that it was not working, you shifted to using points to calculate win ratio…….LMAOoo. Professor of Arithmetics……..LMAOoooo
Still even 11/15 isnt approx 80%…….LMAOoo
So maybe you should go and add the unity cup and chan in your calculations so you can get your desperately desired 80%……LMAOooo
No matter where you want to dodge and duck, twist and turn to save face, helloooooo, you’ve been checkmated. Go and hide your face.
Keep your peanuts to yourself….you’ll need it when you re-enroll in kindergarten for proper re-education.
Your full gaffe is on the completesports.com/2026-wcq-were-in-uyo-to-beat-super-eagles-benin-captain-mounie thread for the world to read and deduce who’s trying to play half smart here.
Rubbish…….!!
Another same epistle without meaning, something is definitely wrong with you Dre. All this you sent, where did I typed 3/5 in all of this? I asked you easy and simple question but u keep pasting long meaningless epistle, who swear for you?
(1) Send the exact post of mine that show me typing 3/5 as u claimed .
(2) Type ur correct approx. percentage for 11/15.
Answer this two question in simple and direct words, I will personally ask some learned men in the forum to check if my 80% is right or whatever u canter it with is right.
N.B I’m not betting with you bcos even if you are wrong, you aren’t given me anything but if you end up with what they said is the correct nearest % to 11/15, I FEMI will send you $1000 via any means u want. So u gat nothing to loose.
Finally I swear with my late dad never to reply u on this very topic again except if you answer this two question.
Hahahahaha….of course it will make no meaning to your because you have been exposed…..LMAOooo
Ndi Chelle has a win rate of 80%………..LMAOooo
To show how much of an illiterate you are, you don’t understand that 3/5 simply means 3 out of 5…….LMAOooo
So when you talk about win ratio……what are you calculating…….LMAOooo. You want to add wins and draws to your own WIN RATE calculations so you can forcibly get 80% abi…….LMAOoo
Shameless liar.
I knew you would look for every possible means to save face…….LMAooo.
Or was it your ghost that wrote this: “…..And same u glorifying Rohr 60% WIN RATIO want the head of Chelle with almost 80% WIN RATE ……”
Was it your ghost that also wrote this: “…… 3 WIN AND 2 DRAWS FROM 5 MATCHES IS APPROX. 80%,…..”
You are asking me to tell you what 11/15 is…??? You also don’t know how to operate a calculator…..??? LMAOooo
Yea, help yourself by using your $1000 to consult learned folks to explain your gaffes to you properly b4 coming in public to persistently disgrace yourself……….LMAOoooo.
Mind you, even if you want to use points to calculate WIN RATIO, Chelle got 12 points from games he won out of 18 points from all matches he played…….and that’s still not 80% yet……LMAOoo
Once again, Win ratio (or win rate as you ignorantly called it) EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD is calculated by dividing the number of wins by the number of matches played (3/5 as in the case of Chelle as at the Lesotho game). There is nowhere WIN RATIO is calculated with points gathered.
Eric Chelle does not have a WIN RATIO of 80% yet……LMAOooo….whether in the World Cup qualifiers or overall…..know that and know peace and stop forcing a narrative that doesn’t exist……..LMAOoooo.
I didn’t attempt to rig Rohr’s win ratio calculation by adding draws when I calculated his 60% win ratio in his last “TERRIBLE” days. There is no point desperately trying to find a way to give Chelle 80% just because you want to rubbish Rohr………LMAOooo
Leave your late dad to rest in peace and rather go back to school for a proper education.
And yes, do yourself the favor of never coming back to argue blindly………LMAoooooo
Nonsense.
Well scripted and explained boss. I’m a Nigerian but let’s throw sentiments in the mud, CAF really need to step up. This qualification format is the worst I’ve ever seen in terms of precision, FairPlay benchmarks and reasonable football ethics, but what to do na? “E favour us wella” I pray it don’t come to hunt us someday.
I’m also sure CAF and FIFA in extension, need to do better next time and not allow one team to play 7 out of 10 matches at home, no matter the reason.
I believe you are not Nigerian and wonder who gave you the “Dr” appellation to your “Drey!” Anything against Super Eagles appeals to you but any of their success seems an affliction to you.
The rule was adopted for Equality of all teams and was specified by Fifa before CAF adopted it when Eritrea withdrew from the Qualifiers. You can’t tell me that beating Chad, Djibouti, Seychelles or South Sudan is equal to beating Zimbabwe. Even Zimbabwe will trash Chad, Djibouti and Sechelles with 10 or more goals home and away. So the only way to balance and ensure equality of all teams is to remove all games of the bottom/weaker teams points accumulated in determining the best 2nd placed teams.
When in 2022 Qatar WC qualifiers where Ghana was awarded the final qualification against Nigeria, despite playing a home and away aggregate 1-1 draw (based on CAF away goals rule)a so-called rule that FiFA has been nullified and voided by UEFA, CONCACAF, COMEBOL etc, I didn’t hear you say “blue murder” and the match should go for 5-5 Penalties to determine who goes to Qatar for the purpose of equity and fairness?
So why are you seeing unfairness when Nigeria qualified based on a rule CAF set when Nigeria was in 5th position in their group-below Lesotho, Rwanda, Benin and South Africa- a rule made known to all the groups since end of match day 4 in March?
Your attitude of ever trashing Nigerian football at all levels, most times without cogent reasoning makes me question your Nigerianess. You must as well go to Ghana, to cry with them about Nigeria’s playoff qualification more than the bereaved teams- Madagascar, Burkina Faso, Niger etc
Hahahaha….if it pains you there’s I have a Dr. Appelation to my name, you are free to go to the market and buy one for yourself if that’s how it works.
Everything you’ve written just make zero sense……LMAOoo. I am sure you are just writing bcos everyone else is writing……LMAOoo
I stopped reading your junk at the point where you wrote “….You can’t tell me that beating Chad, Djibouti, Seychelles or South Sudan is equal to beating Zimbabwe…””
So beating Chad, Djibouti, Seychelles or South Sudan is not equal to beating Zimbabwe…….because matches against those teams are played by 5 players and for 40 minutes right……..LMAooo
It obviously shows you don’t even understand the issue on ground.
It will be a waste of time engaging with someone like you on that.
“…..You can’t tell me that beating Chad, Djibouti, Seychelles or South Sudan is equal to beating Zimbabwe…..”
What a joke…!
You are dreadful and lack cognitive reasoning. May be FIFA is stupid in ranking National teams with Zimbabwe ranked within the first 100 national teams, and the likes of Chad, Djibouti, Seychelles etc are ranked 125-250 in the world.
You see why I told you the “Dr” Drey, you are parading is probably fake and fraudulent! If you cannot see that both FIFA and CAF used that rule/Formula to balanced the teams in the face of Eritrea withdrawal and for equality and fairness, then you lack the brain to argue with me. The rule is far fairer than the anachronistic “Away goals rule” which FIFA no longer uses( infact all major continental federations- UEFA, CONCACAF, COMEBOL etc) but prehistoric CAF still used to rob Nigeria in favour of Ghana in 2022. Then the rule by CAF was fair in your view because it favoured your Ghana, but this clearly more fair rule for EQUALITY that Nigeria worked very hard to attain, with Osimhen virtually carrying Nigeria through, it is UNFAIR in your view writing meaningless and misleading epistle because it favoured Nigeria atlast against your preferred National teams!
I still doubt your Nigerianess- your anti-Nigerian stance/hate beats the xenophobic South Africans and hate-filled Ghanaians.
Hahahahahaha……again i stopped reading your crap the moment you mentioned that Zimbabwe is ranked in the top 100 football nations in the world.
It is plain useless responding to folks like you.
If anyone will be sincere with you, they should advise you to stop talking arrant nonsense and leave intelligent discussions for people who are actually intelligent.
Like I said before, if it pains you that I have a Dr. Appelation to my name, and that you are more intelligent, can provide better opinions than I do, and more worthy of that appellation than me, you are free to go either go and enrol for one, or go to the market and purchase one for yourself if that’s how it works where you come from.
I have classmates, I had supervisors, I had industry mentors, and I don’t run to the courts for injunctions anytime my qualifications are requested. So if it makes you sleep well at night, convincing yourself my doctorate is fraudulent…..LMAOoooo…..please be my guest…..LMAOoooo
Dr. Drey, anyone who thinks your assertion here doesnt make sense, that is his business. What you have said here is 100% excellently sensible to common sense. This same thing you said here, I have had to say it on different platforms, where fans have been discussing the Play-off rubbish rule since Tuesday night. I have stated on different platforms that this is a callous and nonsensical rule that even common sense will throw into the dustbin. I don’t get it honestly. Was this rule made by someone without common sense or what? FIFA/CAF created 9 groups of 6 teams but 1 of the teams in one of the groups dropped for reasons known to them. Instead of FIFA/CAF to deal with the matter within that group, they punished the hardwork and determination of other teams in other groups who came all out to beat their opponents and who happened to be the lowest home and away. They allowed the teams leave their clubs, risked their lives flying and driving to match locations, stressed hemselves out training, in readiness for the match and even getting injured in the process and celebrating their victories and counting their points in anticipation of a ticket. All of a sudden, someone somewhere came up with a senseless and unfair rule and took away these hard-fought points of a lifeline from a hardworking team and rewarded a sleeping team. If someone anywhere tries to justify this rubbish rule with the claim that it had been there before now, the person should ask himself if the world we live in is still where it was, 10 years ago. Things have changed in every facet, including football. New and better rules have been made to replace unpopular rules. So, FIFA/CAF should reason like human sense and not animal’s. Why do we have goal-line technology today without which Nigeria lost the 2000 AFCON Semi to Cameroon? Why do we have VAR today, etc. CAF /FIFA can do better than this useless rule that discourages and make hard-work useless. Even a 4year old boy knows that this rule is gabbage. What I have written here is my opinion of which I am entitled to. Pls., no one should comes here and start to abuse me. If anyone reads it and doesn’t like what I have written, let him read and pass. But if anyone here reads and starts to abuse me, I will till the end of this year insult the person to his forefathers and to his unborn generations. Dr. Drey, I stand with you on this.
Be careful who you side with, else you will be branded unpatriotic.
The timing of your position is wrong. You should have rather waited 2, 4, or 8 years from now when Nigeria gets on the receiving end before complaining.
It doesn’t make sense to complain now, yet when Nigeria is a beneficiary…..LMAOooo
But CAF and FIFA cannot see the future. They released the guidelines in march and they did not know the outcome of the qualifiers, so it is not possible. Nigeria was lucky the rule favored them and they worked hard to acquire the 4 – 0 score against Benin
If Burkina Faso had the chance to play Ethiopia after the SE had played Benin, do you think they would have only defeated Ethiopia 3-1….?
As a the time our match against Ethiopia ended, DRC had not played theirs and we were 3rd in the playoffs table. By the time DRC got wind of our results….they just knew even a half-goal win would place them 2nd on that log.
Now imagine if B/Faso also had that opportunity.
And by the way, why wait until midway into the series in March 2025 to communicate playoff rules for a qualifier series that started in 2023…? That is where CAF shot themselves in the foot.
Again? But kini problem iwo bobo yii though? If it was Benin and not Nigeria that this situation favored would u have displayed this much pain? If any member of NFF collect ur wife, why u dey vent ur anger on the entire nation now? Burkina Faso and Nigeria played in diff. Group with diff. Playing time and date. Are you telling us you imagined Nigeria winning ur small god team by 4 unreplied goals?.
Hahahahaha…..the fact that you can’t see this beyond Benin, says much about your IQ.
I know the truth hurts, but 1000 of folks like you have never been able to stop my points of view and 1000 of you will still never be able to stop me from expressing them.
Even seasoned sports journalists in Nigeria have shared these same sentiments I am sharing now. I mean SEASONED sports journalists. Shebi they too are not happy or wishing Nigeria well……LMAOooo
Anyone who is not a hypocrite understands my view, which has absolutely nothing to do with whether Nigeria made the playoffs or not.
Even you yourself claimed CAF & FIFA make winning look like a crime, only that this time it favours you….so its ok, we can just keep quiet and enjoy the criminality…….LMAOooo…the typical Nigerian way of life.
As the saying goes, we don’t hate corruption in Nigeria, we only hate the one that does not benefit us.
Go and smash your head on the wall if it pains you that I express my opinions about CAF’s lack of fairness in the final outcomes of the playoff spots.
Mind you, even if Nigeria had qualified automatically, I would still have held these same views I hold now.
Bad doesn’t suddenly become good simply because I’m a beneficiary.
You can raise yourself and your offspring to believe and always act otherwise.
Same way seasoned sport journalists also does not share your view. See man, I respect your views on this platform, but I think you are taking this overboard. The rule is the rule, no one saw it coming that Nigeria would be Benin by 4 goals. I am sure you also never saw it coming.
The rule has also not favoured us on some occasions so now that it does, I think we should all allow the sleeping dog lie. There is no need making too much fuse out of this.
I had a conversation with my friend about this very matter where I commented that it was harsh on the other teams.
But, that is football. We never lost to Ghana on the pitch but for an anachronistic away goals rules that belongs to an antediluvian football era.
We scored half a dozen more goals compared with Angola in 2006, yet FIFA elected to use head-to-head rule to gift Angola their ever only world cup ticket to date, when the same FIFA will say “football is about goals, goals, goals.
Oh how I would have loved to see that version of Aiyegbeni, Martins and Odenwingie in that world cup in Germany.
So yeah, Nigeria profited now, well somewhat, because this rule didn’t hand us a world cup ticket, it only threw us a lifeline.
But the 2006 and 2012 rules that hurt Nigeria were absolute.
I eventually said to myself, sod it! Ghana didn’t feel pity for us, Angola didn’t feel pity for us, why should I feel pity for others?
Such is life, such is football!
@deo, thank you very much for such a balanced viewpoint. No further comment needed.
The rules that sent us out of the 2006 and 2022 World Cups were set even before a ball was kicked in the qualifiers. We are the ones to blame for not reading and understanding the rules properly.
It was just like when we were leading 2-1 against Guinea in the 2012 AFCONQ and Siasia pulled our 2 midfielders for 2 strikers in search of more goals rather than closing shop because the 2-1 lead was already taking us to EG/Gabon. Guinea took advantage of our lean midfield, equalized, and that was it.
You can’t blame CAF or FIFA for not reading and understanding the rule book before heading into the competition.
But for a qualifier series that started in 2023 and CAF waited midway into it in 2025 to communicate playoff rules, that was downright wicked. Eritrea had long withdrawn, and games had long been played with the would-be eventual bottom-placed teams.
CAF should be bold enough to admit they goofed and go back to their drawing boards to design a more foolproof and straightforward way of determining its representatives at the World Cup.
@Dr Drey, I wonder what happened to you these past few days………………first it was your highly unpatriotic ranting about Nigeria not deserving of a Qualification for 2026 WC…………..Even if NFF and SE players do not deserve it, why should you wish on us ever loving SE Fans, so much pains and despair for missing 2 WC in a row?
Now Osimhen threw us a lifeline of the Playoff chance, but you are here ranting again that CAF was partial to us……………….who do you like this???
I used to enjoy your in-depth analysis and football statistics but these days, all I see is plenty abuse & curses with little substance in your write up………………is old age catching up on you???
FYI, this rule was not targeted to favour or deter any team, just like head to head was used experimentally for the 1st time in 2006 and in 2022, away goal rule was cancelled by FIFA but CAF went ahead to still use it then and Nigeria were victim on those occasions.
Don’t forget about the Golden Goal rule in Atlanta 1996
We need to embrace this opportunity. The pain of last world up we miss is still there with all the effort put in place at group stage, only to be edge out by home and away goal rule in the play off.
We had our own fair share in the past, so right now we need to embrace this opportunity.
@Wike, you make a wicked point. Bless you
Hahahaha……. it’s still all about gaslighting people all over the place with “patriotism”.
Who gives a damn if you enjoyed my comments or not…..?? LMAOoooo. Do I comment on CSN because of you….???
Not joining you guys in believing and hoping Rwanda will defeat SA in SA’s home and hand Nigeria an automatic WC ticket is “lack of patriotism”
Pointing out the flaws in CAF’s WCQ system, which has now been identified even by international media to be devoid of equity and fairness, is also a “lack of patriotism”……LMAOoooo
You think I drop comments on CSN solely for anyone to applaud….??? No I dont. I’ve never begged for anyone’s applause and will never beg for anyone’s applause.
And if the truth hurts you because you chose to look the other way as a result of being a beneficiary……then find a way to deal with the trauma.
Read my comment well again and aks yourself if it bothers just about Nigeria or about a general problem that could have hurt any team that finds itself in such a position.
Please show me where I ever said CAF is partial to us….or is it your conscience that is judging you subconsiously….??!
My brother, get your facts right, the head-to-head rule was not used “experimentally for the first time in 2006, and in 2022 away goals rule was never canceled by FIFA. It has been there all along, and it is still there. Only UEFA has canceled the away goals rule………Once again, go and get your facts right and stop misrepresenting facts.
You guys simply didn’t read the rules at the start of those qualifiers well. You were victims of your own negligence, not of any unfair arrangements midway into the qualifiers.
The rules were not made in the middle of those qualifiers, nor were undue advantages given to any teams.
The golden goal rule was also not made in the quarter-finals of Atlanta 96 or anywhere in the middle of the competition…….FIFA isnt that stupid. For their own integrity and fairness, they make rules BEFORE every competition, communicate it to all FAs, and even hold seminars with coaches and team captains of participating teams to educate them about the rules AGAIN BEFORE THE START of the competition. Unlike CAF, who wait till 14 months into the competition to define what and what will determine what and what……..LMAOoooo
We all come here to condemn CAF for their misgivings………but of course, it is different this time because Nigeria is a huge beneficiary…….LMAOoo
Is so shocking that the same people who wanted to bite the head of CAF and FIFA for allowing SA to play 7 “home” matches in these qualifiers are no longer bothered about fairness and fair play anymore…….LMAOooo
I’ll await the day the decision that will not benefit us will happen……..let me see who will say pim….!!!
Dr. Drey, You are right. It’s a rotten rule. The away goal rule is to and the golden goal were canceled because FIFA thought it to be unfair and against fair context.
It is not about whom the rule favours and whom it doesn’t favour. It’s about its unjust Ness. It is an unjust rule. Whether if favours my country Nigeria or not, the rule is wicked and unfair.
Dr. Drey, whether the rule was applied during or before the qualifiers, no one knew it was going to favour Nigeria.
The question i would ask you is that if this rule had favoured another country would you be here talking like this or you would be calling for the head of Chelle and saying he is not competent.
I think this is rather personal for you because I don’t understand why you are not so happy that the rule favoured your country.
Good points deo my guy…e go go round…whether harsh o, or favour o..e go reach everybody…rain no dey fall for one man roof…like you stated we self don collect the share from the some of the rules before….
Iyanu Ti N’Chelle!!!!
I love your tears. I’m drinking your tears already Hmmmm. ENKR
In 2003 Nigeria was knocked out of the U17 WorldCup in the group stage by a coin toss. I believe that was the only time in history Nigeria failed to make it out of the group stage in all our participation at the U17 WorldCup.
We all know what happened in 2006 and even in the last WorldCup which we failed to qualify. Even the one we qualified for with games to spare, FIFA still deducted us points for fielding an ineligible player.
All these we took to the sheen and moved on. Nigeria never complained to FIFA OR CAF. The fans only blamed the NFF and the players.
Iyanu Ti N’Chelle. We move and only focused on the battles ahead.
Abe make everybody come out to look for @Monkey post ooo, is he still alive or Osimhen’s brilliance has shut up his mouth permanently
Dr Drey,
I put it to you that your arguement – of stating that CAF introduced this “normalisation rule” that favoured Nigeria mid-way in the tournament – is disingenuous.
What you fail to highlight is this: immediately Eritrea withdrew, that option was automatically, I repeat, automatically on the table.
Yes, FIFA and CAF did not make the decision public until sometime later, but they were never mandated nor obliged to make it early. There is no statute compelling them to make the decision public, earlier than they did. All football federations in Africa knew this, you don’t.
Timing is everything. I guess most fans are disappointed with you because of your timing of complaining about this rule and vigorously you are going about it. It will be stupid to expect you of all people to care about what others think of you and your stance, being the highly opinionated person you are, nonetheless enough people feel disappointed in your timing and vigour enough to lend credence to their disappointment.
I asked AI about this matter and he/she/or it, stated that it is a well established rule to achieve normalisation in other groups if a team pulls out from one group in qualifiers.
If you have the time to read it, and if CSN publishes it, you will find AI’s response below.
AI said:
“You are correct, deo, that the principle of excluding results against the lowest-ranked or withdrawn team in larger groups is the standard normalization mechanism used by FIFA and its confederations. This is done to ensure a fair comparison of points, goal difference, and games played among teams competing for a limited number of spots (like a play-off berth) across groups of unequal size.
Here are the key examples of this principle being applied in other confederations’ World Cup qualification systems, particularly the one you mentioned for CAF:
1. UEFA (Union of European Football Associations)
The UEFA World Cup qualification format frequently uses this normalization rule because its groups often have an uneven number of teams (e.g., 5-team groups and 6-team groups) from the start.
* The Situation: In the final round of the UEFA World Cup qualification group stage, typically the group winners qualify directly, and the group runners-up proceed to a play-off round. With 5-team and 6-team groups, the runners-up in the 6-team groups play two more matches (10 games total) than those in the 5-team groups (8 games total).
* The Normalization Formula: To rank the runners-up fairly and on an equal footing, UEFA/FIFA regulations stipulate that results against the team finishing last (6th place) in the six-team groups are discounted.
* The Effect: This adjustment ensures that all runners-up are compared based on their results from eight matches played against the other four teams in their respective groups, thereby eliminating the unfair advantage of having more matches to earn points or boost goal difference. This mechanism is a structural rule, not just one triggered by a withdrawal, but it perfectly illustrates the normalization principle.
2. CAF (Confederation of African Football)
The CAF 2026 World Cup qualification is a direct and current example of this rule being triggered by a withdrawal, as you referenced.
* The Situation (The Trigger): The qualification featured nine groups, which were intended to be six teams each. However, Eritrea withdrew before playing any matches, leaving their group with only five teams. This created an imbalance where eight groups had six teams (10 matches) and one group had five teams (8 matches).
* The Normalization Formula: To select the four best runners-up (who advance to a continental play-off), CAF officially announced that, for the purpose of comparing the runners-up:
* Results against the last-placed team (6th place) in all six-team groups would be excluded.
* This ensures that all second-placed teams are compared based on a maximum of eight matches against the top five teams in their groups.
* The Effect: This formula ensures that the runner-up in the five-team group (who only played 8 matches) is not penalized, and the runners-up in the six-team groups (who played 10 matches) do not benefit from “easy” results against the weakest opponent.
3. General FIFA Competition Regulations
While specific cases in other confederations can be harder to pinpoint without access to internal regulations, the principle is enshrined in general FIFA tournament rules for multi-group stages:
* The Rule: Whenever the results of groups of different sizes need to be compared (e.g., to determine the “best” third-placed team), the standing of the teams is calculated by first excluding the results obtained against the team(s) finishing last in the groups of a larger size.
* Application: This has been used in various qualification cycles for the World Cup and other major tournaments across different confederations (like AFC in the past) when comparing third-placed teams or runners-up from groups of unequal size (e.g., one group of 5 and another of 4). It is the default mechanism for ensuring competitive integrity when the number of matches is not uniform.”
I guess where CAF “missed” it is playing the last matches of the series at different times.
Imagine Abacha telling Ekong to explain the situation of missing out on the playoff (that’s what Burkina Faso leader is currently doing even if I like his “stubborn” leadership), that will rattle any national team.
CAF, I’ll forgive them, gave unfair advantage to some teams whereas I believe UEFA which practices the model never do, else the matter for cast.
At least all the semi finalists will qualify for Brazil 2027 wwc and the best 2 of the losing quarter finalists will head off to intercontinental playoffs.
That means, the 2 least disgraced losing quarterfinalists on paper but then, I don’t know what the rules will be, maybe the best ranked losers or so.
So, if we had played at the same time with Burkina Faso or Niger, then the mystery would have been off the charts because we wouldn’t have known 4 goals would overtake anyone.
Nwabali at some points of the game wanted to be a weapon fashioned against us because no one was really clear on the playoff matter. It’s the first time.
Eritrea is also likely to be out of the 2030 race from 2027 because the nation’s leadership is paranoid. Time will tell.
Last matches played simultaneously would have given all a fair chance but it’s the first time with CAF. They should placate Burkinabes and adjust going forward
Hahahahaha….Sly, you’ll soon be tagged as being unpatriotic.
How dare you question the fairness of CAF in allowing games that could determine who and who qualifies for the playoffs be held at different times….?
How dare you confess in the open, at this auspicious time, that if we had played at the same time with Burkina Faso and Niger, we wouldn’t have known 4 goals would overtake anyone….?
Rules are rules.
No matter how lenient or unfair, it will surely favour someone and be cruel to another. All we have to do is do the job within the confine of the rules. Nigeria did just that. So how do we take the blame for a rule that was genuinely set in the earliest stage of qualification.
We did the job on the pitch. This time around, effort met with favour. All respect to Burkina Faso but I am glad it was Nigeria.
Hahahhahaha…….Deo, So the truth should have timing…….LMAOOo.
I never knew that there are times when the truth should be told and times when it shouldn’t. I was raised and trained to tell the truth ALL the time. So thank you very much for the re-orientation.
Please kindly point out where I ever said CAF introduced the “normalisation rule” mid-way in the tournament. Just as a point of correction, I only stated that CAF communicated it midway…..not introduced it.
And if you read my very first comment properly, you would deduce that I spoke explicitly within the context of the entire qualification series, and not 1 isolated case.
The fact that there is a standard does make it foolproof and completely in tune with the principles of fair play.
I don’t care who has been affected and who has benefited, but pointing out a defective system has never been a new thing anywhere, even on this forum, nor is it criminal. And in actual fact, a wise saying says silence in the face of injustice is injustice itself.
So why is it that pointing out a defective way of selecting qualifiers for the playoffs pours this much acid in your intestines….??? I don’t know why pointing this out is criminal now, because Nigeria has benefited from it to avoid back-to-back World Cup failures
If your country has not done enough to qualify for 2 World Cups back-to-back, you have yourself to blame for that……LMAOooo. We actually ranked 7th out of 9 teams on the original 2nd place teams’ table………LMAOooo. That is how UNMERITORIOUS we are of qualifying for the World Cup…….LMAOooo. Once again, deal with that.
You don’t have to now silence justice or accede to unfairness just to avoid the ignominy that comes with your actions.
If there is an error in my position, point it out. If my logic is flat, point it out……..but stop gaslighting me with “patriotism” and “timeliness”…….LMAOooo. Even you yourself knows it wouldn’t fly with me.
All of a sudden, Nigerians who were so quick to point out the “injustice” of FIFA allowing South Africa to play 7 “home games” out of 10 as being against the spirit of fairplay have now remembered there are established “standards”…..? As if it wasn’t an established standard before now that a team can choose anywhere it likes to host its home matches, so far, the facilities meet FIFA’s standards.
In law, there is what they refer to as the letters of the law and the spirit of the law. Alignment of both is the reason why laws are often subjected to amendments. So, pointing out the misalignment of both in the face of temporary gratification is the highest form of patriotism anyone can ever show. So none of y’all is more patriotic than I am, simply because you feel content with a defective system, SIMPLY, I repeat, SIMPLY because it benefits you. Cos I know if it were to be the other way round, some of you would have even suggested a trip to CAS.
I don’t know if you have access to FIFA….but tell them a system that allows 2 neighboring countries in the same group to play both home and away games in either’s home country is defective and bequeaths undue advantange over other teams in the group, same way a qualification system that sees a team with 21 points failing to qualify for the playoffs ahead of a team with 17 points is defective and unfair. And I am not sorry about the timing of this opinion.
If a team withdraws from a qualifying series, it should be a simple walkover, 3 points and 3 goals to the opponents, not having to lose points gotten from other valid matches that were validly played against other validly competing teams in other groups that do not even have any business with the team that withdrew.
It’s very laughable that it’s the same folks who are looking for every way to gloss this error in judgment by football higher-ups in CAF and FIFA because it favours Nigeria, that cry wolf and say CAF and FIFA hate Nigeria when things don’t go our way.
Dr Drey,
If my friend sadly loses his mum and i call him to inform him but he says he is driving, I will either ask him to park somewhere or, better still, call him back when he gets home because “the time isn’t right”.
Even the truth, there is a good and a bad time to share good or bad news. And Dr Banks will tell you that you have to be subtle when sharing bad news, even though it is the truth.
Please, park this matter.
Celebrate with millions of Nigerians and offer your much respected views of how we can successfully navigate the play offs in November.
I read everything you wrote up there with much interest, bottom line: football is a cruel sport.
Football Rules are not thoughtfully conceived nor are they consistently applied, always to the detriment of one team and the benefits of another.
It’s what it is.
But, the odour of anger, bitterness and disappointment of Nigeria making it to the playoffs against all odds and Eric Chelle proving you wrong , is filling the room and choking this platform.
Now, this odour is a mirage because I know you mean well. But many contributors are starting to doubt your loyalty.
The longer you stay on this topic, the longer you dwell on such matters, the longer you try to unearth any other factors that “unfairly” worked in favour of Nigeria in this qualifying series, the longer you give off the impression that you are disappointed Nigeria made it to the playoffs.
Is there logic in your argument, absolutely yes. But, my brother, this is not the time.
Rather, this is the time to get behind your country and wish the Super Eagles well for the playoffs and the upcoming Afcon.
Hahahahaha….Deo, you are cracking me up so early on a chilly weekend morning……LMAOoo. You are indeed a multitalented fellow, and I think you should also try out with Opa Williams’ “Night of a thousand laughs’
Chelle has proven me wrong…..?? LMAOOoo. Because he has won a medal at AFCON or because he has qualified for a World Cup…..? LMAOooo.
Please don’t jump the gun, wait till he has done both of the above before laying your palm fronds and garments down for Chelle to walk on. Don’t be like the person who was too quick to praise-sing Chelle, he ignorantly scored him an 80% win ratio for winning 4 out of 6 games in the WCQ, 6 out of 11 overall, and is now calling on his late dad to help him defend his marking scheme….LMAOooo
We are where we are thanks to Osimhen with his 5 games 6 goals 1 assist performance in this WCQ. Every other person in that team has a goal or less in as many or more games. Even Chelle himself knows he still has a job today courtesy of Victor, and he didn’t hesitate to confer on him the title of the best striker in the world (which we all know is untrue……LMAOOo). I too, would call whoever helped me keep my job the “BEST” whatever the person is in the world.
My man, can we please quickly play a game of Russian Roulette….? Can we please get Osimhen Injured and ruled out for 7 weeks beginning from this midweek’s Champions League game….?? Let’s see how really good this man called Chelle really is.
This man who played CIV at the AFCON quarterfinals with a goal and a man advantage for 75 mins and still lost….???
Minus Victor Osimhen, the man has used between 5 to 6 CFs in the last 4 games, and all 5 or 6 of them have barely had enough shots on target combined for me to count on the fingers of 1 hand…..and you claim he has proven me wrong……??? LMAOooooo
You went further to claim I am angry, bitter, and disappointed about Nigeria’s qualification FOR THE PLAYOFFS just because I raised valid, logical concerns about the manner it was decided, which you have not been able to counter……?? LMAOoooo
When I was warning against the actions of NFF circa 2022 WCQ and giving a breakdown of the impacts of their rash decision, both financial and socioeconomic, you think I didn’t want Nigeria to be at the World Cup…..???
When I was warning against laying off Peseiro and making financial analysis of what the NFF should sacrifice and invest in the employment of quality coaching personnel in order to qualify for the WC and recoup returns on their investments to the tune of 500% and over……..I also didn’t want Nigeria to qualify for the World Cup then right……?? LMAOOoooo
Now that the chickens are coming home to roost, and the reckless fly is about to follow the corpse into the grave, I have suddenly become angry, bitter, and disappointed. Nigeria has qualified for PLAYOFFS…..??
Of course, why shouldn’t I….? Don’t you think I have the right to be….? When we had the chance to qualify for the main thing, but refused to do the right things as I earlier recommended……LMAOoooo. Now here we are rolling out the drums for qualifying for the most uncertain WC qualification playoffs in the history of Nigerian football, not just because of the quality of the teams we are going to meet, but also the potential rivalry between us and the fact that we are only 1 player unavailable for us before we fall flat at the first hurdle…..???
I have already read many people praying to God and their family deities for Nigeria to qualify for this WC cup so that they can shame Dr.Drey……….LMAOoooo. Trust me, nothing has given me more sense of joy, happiness, fulfilment, and justification in over 2 decades than reading those comments. It simply means we have either gotten or are about to get to that point where I can confidently say “I WARNED YOU”……..LMAOooo.
It is simply a validation of all my rants and cries on this forum. So if they call me ITK, it simply confirms I actually do Know. If they say I have a superiority complex, it simply means I am actually superior to them.
And the funny thing is that at the time I was dropping these “warnings” the same way I’m being hounded, insulted, and called all sorts of names now (including “unpatriotic”) is the same way I was being maligned at the time……..LMAOoo
But I am used to these things already, whether here on CSN or in real life. I stand for something, so I don’t fall for just anything or everything. Neither do I owe anybody any duty to massage their ego, so I can remain in their good books
Back to the matter at hand, once again, if there is an error in my position, point it out. If my logic is flat, point it out……..otherwise, maybe na you need to park this matter and rest, because you too must have observed that the more you try to gloss it up, the more the fault lines get more visible, the unfairness becomes more apparent, and the risk of a boomerang at some point in the future becomes scarier.
Like I said before, if you have access to FIFA, please tell them a system that allows 2 neighboring countries in the same group to play both home and away games in either’s home country is defective and bequeaths undue advantange over other teams in the group, same way a qualification system that sees a team with 21 points failing to qualify for the playoffs ahead of a team with 17 points or allow teams vying for playoff spots play at different times is defective and unfair and needs a review. And I am not sorry about the timing of this opinion.
I dont care for how many years the rule has been in use, but If a team withdraws from a qualifying series, it should be a simple walkover, 3 points and 3 goals to the opponents, not other teams who have no business with the team that withdrew having to lose points gotten from other valid matches that were validly played against other validly competing teams in other groups that do not even have any business with the group of the team that withdrew. If UEFA could do away with the draconian away goals rule after nearly 6 decades or even more, then FIFA has no excuses.
No amount of gaslighting can keep me quiet about this. Cos I know if Nigeria hadn’t benefited, I would cry out this same way, with this same energy, and at this same TIME. And I am 100% sure, you and those who call me names now would have joined in the chorus.
It is either this “Dr” Drey lack cognitive reasoning- and that’s why I question his Dr Appelation to his dryness of thought- or he is acting purely out of mischief bothering on his hatred for Nigerian football at all levels, I suspect the later!
I started reading his negativity and hatred from his strident opposition to the Nigerian U-20 in Chile claiming Nigerian coaches were idiots vastly inferior to South African Coaches, fraudulently claiming South Africa has beaten Nigerian teams at all levels. Not even when I mentioned that Nigerian Women Coach- Madugu beat the South African in WAFCON semi-finals and not even their male team could beat SE home and away was he ready to retrace his fallacious claims. Yet even Colombia that could only play a draw (1-1) in the group stage with our U20 boys in their group walloped SA u20 3-1 to eliminate them at the group of 16 knockout stage! All of these make a lie of his claim but Drey is incorrigible and will write meaningless and misleading epistle all over CSN and he won’t budge because he claims he has a Dr and must know everything.
Ever since his misleading and mischievous rantings on why he believes Nigeria has “unfairly robed” Burkina Faso and other 2nd placed teams with the conivance of CAF, I told him he was wrong and let him know it a very fair rule established by FIFA and only been adopted by CAF because of Eritreas withdrawal from the group qualifiers. But because of his hatred of Nigeria and Nigeria’s football benefiting he insisted it was unfair rule introduced by CAF midway into the qualification rounds.
I tried to explain the rationale for the rule to him- that it was a very fair rule to ensure measurement of all concerned teams on an EQUALITY basis- pointing at to him that Zimbabwe, last team in our group with 5 points (compared to other bottom teams with 0 or 1 points and -40 GD) was far stronger than the likes of Seycheles, Djibouti, Chad, South Sudan etc and to ensure equality points and goals earned from all bottom teams have to be deducted for fairness and equality- he kept on arguing blindly against the unfairness to Burkina Faso and Niger etal.
His pain and anger is based on the fact that Nigeria qualified for the playoffs by inflicting heavy defeat on his preferred Benin, whom he claimed early Tuesday will beat Nigeria in Uyo. He is not talking about fairness because this the fairest rule I have seen from CAF for sometime now. His claim that the rule was introduced half way through the qualifications have valiantly debunked by @Deo, who pasted his comprenhensive ruling and it’s fairness- but Drey is still not ready throw the Towel arguing blindly and dumbly because all his whining and lies had been debunked.
Nigeria worked for and merited the playoffs and there was never any favour done to Nigeria in getting the playoffs, or disfavour to any other Burkina Faso or any other 2nd placed team that did not get the playoffs spot.
Hahahaha….you have been seeking my attention but haven’t gotten it, cos I really dont have anything to say to you…..LMAOoo. If you can’t as much as confirm if Zimbabwe is ranked above 100 on the fifa rankings, what other sensible comment can you then offer……LMAOooo
Its worse that you dont even understand jack about how the runners off spots were determined……LMAOoo…to you it is because beating Zimbabwe carries more points and weights than beating Chad, Djibouti, Seychelles or South Sudan ……..LMAoooo…..the dumbest submission I’ve read on CSN this year…….LMAOooo
Common sense did not tell you that FIFA didnt the selection of teams into groups by putting teams in 6 different ports and all groups had teams from each port, meaning we also had pot 6 teams in our group whom we struggled with. Common sense also didnt tell you FIFA rankings do not play football, current form does. That is why we couldnt beat pot 2 SA home or away, Pot 3 Benin home and away, Pot 5 Zimbabwe home or away and Pot 6 Lesotho home and away. The only team we could beat home and away was a Pot 4 team and on the basis of that you think we are the most qualified to make the playoffs with 17pts ahead of a team with 21 pts…..?? LMNAOOooo
For the 3rd time, I stopped reading your comment after the first paragraph because like others, was all filled with senselessness and misinformation. It isn’t worth the effort to read your full bunch of shit and respond to them.
As desperate as you are to score cheap points, you even lied that I “….claimed Nigerian coaches were idiots….”
I challenge you to go copy and paste where I never called Nigerian coaches idiots, and I will quit commenting on CSN forever.
Again, I challenge you to go copy and paste where I never called Nigerian coaches idiots, and I will quit commenting on CSN forever.
You are just rabble-rousing emptily, bragging South African coaches are not better……LMAOooo….on the basis that Madugu was nominated for FIFA women’s coach of the year…….I reminded you Desire Ellis was nominated for the same award 4 times in a row before Madugu…….LMAOoooo….. your tongue lost its ability to move……LMAOoo
You swore SA coaches are not better. I challenged you to name 4 Nigerian coaches who have coached or are currently coaching at the highest level on the African continent in the last 5 years, and I, Dr.Drey, will list 10 South African coaches. A born and bred South African was even Assistant Coach at Man U a season or 2 ago. Since then, you disappeared like fart in a storm, only to reappear now with cheap lies that I said Nigerian coaches are idiots.
The same you later turned around to agree the SA coaches are better, claiming its just because they have more money they are better than Nigerian coaches…….LMAOoo
Oga stay one play and let the thunder that wants to faya you for your lack of common sense locate you
If you say Dr. Drey lacks cognitive reasoning and has dryness of thought, pls copy and paste any of your own comments where you have displayed any of the above. Just 1 comment, let’s dissect it.
If Dr. Drey lacks cognitive reasoning, then what should we make of you? We might as well conclude you are an irreparable, complete imbecile.
Once again, leave intelligent conversations for intelligent people and stop polluting this conversation with you heap of crap.
Like I said before, if it pains you that I have a Dr. Appelation to my name, and that you are more intelligent, can provide better opinions than I do, and more worthy of that appellation than me, you are free to go either go and enrol for one, or go to the market and purchase one for yourself if that’s how it works where you come from.
I had classmates, I had supervisors, I had industry mentors, and I don’t run to the courts for injunctions anytime my qualifications are requested. So if it makes you sleep well at night, convincing yourself my doctorate is fraudulent…..LMAOoooo…..once again, please be my guest…..LMAOoooo
I forgot to add that left to you, drawing 129th placed Zimbabwe home and away is a better result than beating a team like Chad or South Sudan home and away……..LMAOooo
2 draws have suddenly become better than 2 wins in the game of football……LMAOoo
And you talk about cognitive reasoning and dryness of thought…..LMAOooo?
Is your brain functioning at all…….? That is if you even have one.
This is wrong man “You don’t have to now silence justice or accede to unfairness just to avoid the ignominy that comes with your actions.”
It is not unfairness, it is the rule. Anyone could have been affected by it. And if you really unwanted to speak against the rule been “announced” mid way into the competition, you should have come out to say it immediately it was made public, not now that it has benefitted Nigeria. You will only make persons feel like your fuse is against Nigeria even if that is not your intention
If a rule were modified at the 11th hour, that would amount to shifting the goalpost for unfair advantage.
But a rule that was announced in March??? When the qualifiers were only halfway, and about 5 matches played?
No one can complain now. Rules are rules, especially if you’ve been notified 6 solid months prior.
Dr Drey,
I actually tried out with Opa Williams in the Nights of a Thousand Laughs but I didn’t like it much. Thanks for the referral though, though it was late in coming.
The message I tried to convey is thus: your vigour, passion and relentless desire in attempting to unearth anything that proves how unfair Nigeria’s passage to the playoffs is, gives the perception, the appearance of bitterness and disappointment on your part that Chelle and Nigeria made it to said playoffs.
Me, I think that appearance or perception has to be gauged against the backdrop of how contentious the formula used by CAF and endorsed by FIFA is, or was.
But it is undeniable: people will think you are bitter. Whether this perception of your actions is misplaced or not, is neither here nor there: you are entitled to your views just as much as people are entitled to ascribe intentions to those views based on: 1) how you conducted yourself before the Benin match, 2) Your undying admiration for Gernot Rohr, 3) and your hostility towards the competency Coach Eric Chelle, so much so, you decended to using terms to describe him that some readers found offensive, racist and shamelessly below-the-belt. The said term you used is something like “Tuareg Coach”, which references Chelle’s ethical background in a most disparaging way.
Even when we criticise coaches, perhaps we should know where to draw the line.
Some would argue that, by scoring 4 goals when we needed 4 goals, by taking advantage of a poorly conceived CAF rule (that coaches of Burkina Faso, Uganda, Benin and Niger all failed to take advantage of), Chelle did indeed prove you wrong to this point. Okay, he might probably prove you right in future, but until then, enjoy the humble pie he fed you to this point. Little wonder some contributors asked you to keep your playoffs qualification congratulations to yourself. They couldn’t stomach the negativity that came from you prior and your alleged racist remarks towards the coach.
You keep saying “we are where we are because of Osihmen’s goals and availability” as if it wasn’t the same coach who selected Osihmen.
Your Football Lord and Personal Savour Gernot Rohr qualified us for 2019 Afcon with games to spare and won us bronze on the back of Ighalo’s goals and availability. BIG DEAL! I fail to see your point here.
Coach picks striker, striker delivers! Am I missing something? When the goals were drying up, against popular demand, your Rohr went to prostrate and genuflect to Ighalo, begging him to come back!!!!
Eric Chelle’s Mali losing to hosts Ivory Coast even with a man advantage is not in a million years as embarrassing as your Gernot Rohr losing at home to Central Africa Republic or allowing lowly Sierra Leone claw back from 4:0 to 4:4 at home.
Give me a break!
I don’t need to counter or refute your argument about the formal CAF used to deal with Lesotho’s withdrawal. I actually think it is sound but I also feel Nigeria has been harmed by other football rules in the past. After all, 2 things can be right at the same time.
People just questioned your vigour and venom in seeking out factors that worked in Nigeria’s favour this time around after it worked against your Gernot Rohr and it allowed a coach you allegedly racially abused to at least keep his job for now.
If you can’t see why people question your motive, I really don’t know what else to say.
Mr Football Fanatic, you remember him? He was so disgusted by your use of an alleged racial slur against Coach Eric Chelle the other day that he picked issue with you.
And, thanks for the recommendation. As you recommend, I will , if I can leverage the time and effort, email CAF, like I did about their stupid under 17 zonal qualification formula, to let them know that this 2nd place world cup qualification play-offs formula could perhaps have been better managed. I think you make a fair point.
But I would not do it now, I will allow the dust to settle. For now my focus is on praying for Nigeria to successfully navigate the playoffs come November.
That should be the priority of all Nigeria fans, even yours.
@deo, spot on. I always commend your balanced views and maturity. Thanks for saying it as it ought to be said.
Hahahahaha…..My brother, the images of water being poured on Chelle’s head after getting booted out of AFCON by 10-man CIV, despite having a goal and a man advantage for 75 minutes, are still littered all over the internet.
Conversely, I have searched for pictures of water being poured on Rohr’s head after drawing 4-4 with Sierra Leone or losing 0-1 to CAR, and I’ve found none.
Maybe because none of those happened with Nigeria having a man advantage for 75 minutes, or maybe because none of either result hurt our tight grip on the top spot of our qualification groups on both occasions. In fact, in one instance, we ended up qualifying with 2 games to spare, which remains unprecedented in the history of Nigerian football to date, and on the other occasion, we led the group from 1st matchday to last matchday, ending with a 2pt lead despite also drawing our last match at home……LMAOooo. And that was the last real hope till date also, that we ever had of qualifying for a World Cup.
The last time I checked, by Matchday 4 of these WCQ, the Malian FA had had enough of this Touareg of theirs. If they could stomach the embarrassment of his AFCON failure, they couldn’t stomach just 4 points from a possible 9 from the first 3 WCQ matches all played back-to-back-to-back on home soil. He had practically sunk their WC hopes by the 4th game of the series, and they duly booted him out.
So you might not really need a million years to decipher which is more embarrassing……..LMAOooo
Rohr might have produced a top scorer in each of his assignments as Nigeria’s coach, but the SE was never a 1-man team under him. The man had a working template that anyone would slot in and deliver. Ighalo left, Osimhen stepped in. When Ighalo was scoring, Iwobi too was scoring, Ahmed Musa was scoring, and Sam Kalu was scoring. When Osimhen was scoring, Iwobi too was scoring, Chukwueze was scoring, even the non-compatible Paul Onuachu weighed in his own fair share of goals when called upon. Ighalo had to make himself available all the time, else he knew his place would go to someone else. And the last time I checked, it was Pinnick who went to Riyadh to drag Ighalo back to the SE, not Rohr.
Once again, at no point under Rohr was our SE a 1-MAN TEAM. We only had finishers who finished off our carefully mapped out buildups, making them top scorers in the process every time and again. In their absence, we had folks whom we would call up and get similar end products. The same cannot be said about this man, who used about 5 or 6 CFs in the last 4 WCQ games, and all of them (minus Osimhen) couldn’t muster 5 shots on target combined in 4 matches.
I asked you to let us play russian roulette with Osimhen’s availability…….LMAOooo……. to test Chelle, but you “tactically maneuvered” around that……..LMAOooo. I understand. It is traumatic already just imagining it………LMAOooooo. Our World Cup hopes now rest on having Osimhen fit for all the matches (if we ever have an opportunity to play “All”)
So like I said before, he hasn’t proven me wrong about anything, not even with the win over Benin. Akor, Tolu, and Moffi all played that game and recorded ZERO, yes, ZERO shots on target. Osimhen, it is that is keeping the man alive, and he himself knows it.
Wait till he wins a medal at AFCON and qualifies for the World Cup before knighting him.
And like I have said before and will say again, if he can not as much as get us to Canada/Mexico/USA, he should be let go; otherwise, he will be another waste of time and money.
Don’t let me ever have the pleasure of telling you, “I WARNED YOU”
And as per what people feel about my reactions and opinions to this article, under which we are commenting, tell them all I said in as much as they can not point out the error, nor flatten out the logic of the position/suggestion, nor stomach the way its all been handled by both FIFA and CAF if tables were turned and Nigeria was edged out after another team knew our results vs Benin, then they can all go to hell.
I am not responsible for their shortsightedness, nor is it my responsibility to be their harbinger of hope.
Nuff said already…..!!!
CAF made their rule in March, Burkina Faso and Dr. Drey didn’t complain.
They waited until it didn’t favour them and they started speaking “grammar.”
If the rule had worked for Benin Republic and coach Rohr, I wonder what Dr. Drey would have said.
He is visibly bitter that Nigeria has a second chance.
Hmnnnnn….
“…….If the rule had worked for Benin Republic and coach Rohr, I wonder what Dr. Drey would have said….”
Mr Bomboy, If the rule had worked against Nigeria, what would you Bomboy have said…..???!
It’s like you’ve not been following me from the Kickoff Nigeria days. If you have, you will know that I dont care about saying the truth no matter whose ox is gored….??
When these draws where made, and I raised an alarm that South Africa would likely be playing 8 games in South Africa (I presumed Benin would want to stay back and face SA in SA after facing Zimbabwe there), was the complaint not supposed to be in favour of Nigeria….??? Was it because it wont favour Benin republic and coach Rohr I raised the alarm.
The comments from some of your are so laughable and reflects the degree of shortsightedness affecting y’all. And its such a sore point for Nigeria as a nation.
I have told you all to stop trying to gaslight yourselves because it is not me you are gaslighting anymore. If you can’t point out the invalidity of my concerns or their lack of logic, kindly look for a nice cushion and sleep.
Taking the emotional and sentimental route doesnt right the wrong, nor wrong the right.
For your information, it doesn’t matter when the rules were made, the question is are there valid grounds for it to be reviewed. Do the teams complaining have VALID reasons to do so…?
If CAF made the rules by March as you claim, were the final matches of the WCQ series that actually determined who qualifies for the playoffs were also played in March and simultaneously too, so that no team feels cheated in the end……??!
If Nigeria had played simultaneously as Uganda, Niger, B/Faso, DRC and the other guys vying for playoff spots, would we have known the exact number of goals we needed to score to qualify for the playoffs…?
If B/Faso had played Ethiopia after we defeated Benin 4-0 rather than before we played, and known that they needed to defeat Ethiopia more the 3-1 they initially did and went ahead to do everything possible to do so, would you not also be “speaking grammar” by now….?? Oga Bomboy.
You have a problem and you never get tired of talking too much nonsense from your big mouth. It will do you good to keep quiet and stop spreading negativity. You’re such a cloud of darkness that should not be encouraged.
It’s time for Nigeria to focus on the tasks ahead so keep your nonsense to yourself. You’re becoming a nuisance that only derives validation on a sport website. Seems you don’t have fulfilled life outside this space no wonder you don’t want to stop your nonsense that doesn’t make any sense.
Like I always said i will not go back and forth with a nonentity. But if you disrespect me you’ll eat of the seed you sow because I come from a realm that is greater than your imagination. Loosing your mother should have matured you but instead you’re roaring like your master seeking for whom to devor and mislead.
I hate to use this words on you but you’re an enemy of progress so I have no choice than to put you where you belong you son of iniquity wishing for the downfall of your nation before you can find peace. If no be wizard then what else do we call this stupidity? No wonder someone on this forum said you must be a wicked person in real life. You’re so shameless and full of dark cloud!!!
Hahahahaha….this imbecile is back. You are on lunch break now or what….?? LMAOoooo
I read everything you said and none even makes sense (as usual)…….LMAooo….but I will still reply to you anyway.
If there is a lie or falsehood in what I have said, point it out. Otherwise, why not crawl back to the hellhole where you breed?
The one who prides himself on excellence and not celebrating mediocrity now celebrates unfariness……LMAOooo
The one who prides himself as being a Holy Ghost-filled Christian and assistant to Jesus Christ now sees the truth as negativity…….LMAOoo
Isn’t that wonderful…..?
Of course, I don’t have a fulfilled life outside CSN, that is why, like you, I came here to announce to the world the first time I secured a visa to enter the US………LMAoooo.
I don’t ever remember inviting you to this thread, you bringing your long mouth like that of a pig in here to claim you will not go back and forth with me is quite a joke……LMAOooo.
I responded to Bomboy, but it is Chima Ewu Samuels who says he will not go back and forth with me…..LMAOooo. Miracle no dey taya Jesus….???
I am a nonentity, but still heads and shoulders above you in everything in life. Even in the faith you claim to practice, I am still heads and shoulders above you, because you obviously cannot call out injustice as long as it benefits you, something the Christian faith is vehemently against.
Whatever you call me, I am still far far better than you, my thoughts better than yours, my comments better than yours, my life better than yours, my home better than yours, my career better than yours, my life better than yours. With your phantom connections in Wall Street, it still took you many years of slavery in Ghana to “hustle” a visa into the US……LMAOOooo……whereas my first visa to the US in the 90s was delivered on my office desk, together with those of my research colleagues back then. So whatever comes to your empty skull that you should call me, just have it at the back of your mind that I am still far far better than you…….LMAOooo
Of course I am an enemy of progress, shebi I joined you to call for the sack of Rohr for winning 6 and drawing 2 out of his “terrible” last 10 games, leading to us not qualifying for the 2022 WC. I also joined you in clamouring for Amuneke, who relegated Heartland as SE after Peserio indicated he no longer wants to continue as SE coach.
Of course, I am an enemy of progress……I didn’t tell NFF to get us a good coach worth $100k per month early enough to prosecute the WCQ so that we can end up top of our group, qualify directly for the WC, and earn $40m from FIFA in the process.
Of course, I am an enemy of progress, I also didn’t cry out that SA will play nearly all their WCQ on home soil, nor did I warn that we shouldn’t joke with Rohr under any circumstances as we proceed into our WCQ series.
It is now that you FAILED once again like in 2022 to qualify for the world cup despite my warnings, finished 2nd in a group that had SA, Benin, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Rwanda with a paltry 17 point,s despite SA getting 3pts deducted from them and fraudulently qualified for the playoffs ahead of a team that has 21 points…….it is now that you realize I am an enemy of progress.
Can’t you see that we both are the enemy of progress here….??? LMAOooo
The stroke that will bend your mouth sideways is doing press-up at the moment. Continue being a fool and talking anyhow.
Just don’t transmit this seed of stupidity and wretchedness that was sown in you by your father into your offspring and their generation unborn.