Former Nigerian international Mikel Obi has called for the disbandment of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) if the Super Eagles fail to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Mikel stated this after Nigeria played out a 1-1 draw against South Africa in Bloemfontein, leaving the team’s 2026 World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.
With two matches left to play in the group, Nigeria are 6 points behind South Africa, who are topping Group C with 17 points, while the Super Eagles are on 11 points alongside the Benin Republic, who have a match at hand.
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However, reacting to how the NFF has managed the Super Eagles’ qualifying campaign, the former Chelsea star, in a chat with the Obi One Podcast, called for the disbandment of the football body.
“If Nigeria doesn’t qualify for the World Cup, the entire NFF board has to go… it’s unacceptable.
“We didn’t qualify for Qatar — the last World Cup — and now it looks like again we are not going to make it. Honestly, I have nothing to say about it,” the former Chelsea star said on the Obi One Podcast.
13 Comments
Dele Bashiru: 3 starts 2 goals and assist
Iwobi: 10+ starts 0 goal 0 assist..
Iwobi is the least productive attacking MF to ever play for SE.
Bruno: cant dribble, pass or shoot..yet to start a game for his team but considered a starter for SE..
People come online to curse Sanusi and Alhassan but ignore some erratic performers like Onyeka, Iwobi, Bruno, Headache, Chukwueze, Awaziem, Uzoho, and co..
I have saved my message for reference Moderator over to you..
@Sly, the NFF board are the first to be blamed cos they dont know their job. Football is beyond the pitch annd players. There are lots of details going on outside the field to protect the national team. Where were the board members when south Africa lobbied FIFA to allow them play Lesotho and Zimbabwe home matches in south Africa.? Where were thy when that poor pitch the S.E played in against south Africa was approved. Why couldnt they hire a competent coach with experience to coach the SE.? I can go on and on …. The empirical evidence that lends credence to the fact that the NFF do not know their job or do not have the interest of Nigerians at hearts is very glaring. South Africa will qualify for the world cup ahead of Nigeria and Benin not because they hv better players but because of off field politics.
I read South Africa moved the eagles game to that rugby pitch because it’ll thwart travel plans of plenty Nigerians to flood the stadium. Now, they’re moving the final matches to a better pitch.
Better play at off field politics is the keyword indeed, @original 442.
We need a clean slate indeed at the glass house.
Technocrats truly, not quota system or round pegs in square holes leaders (imagine saving money to fund mediocre football, worse, saving money to only create crash camps for cadet teams 2 weeks to major tournaments when our opponents have camped for nearly a year).
Who gets expected results doing such?
Giant of Africa will soon be in pot D in subsequent draws and hit new and evolving giants for new merry go round failure.
Our afcon opponents have either qualified for world cup 2026 (Tunisia) or among the race for the best 4 second place teams for playoffs (Uganda and Tanzania).
We are in far worse crisis than imagined
I hope you know where Lesotho is my friend? Lesotho is inside South Africa, so that your point is a moot point and secondly, Zimbabwe have no football pitch that can be called a football pitch, South Africa are doing them favours by allowing their games to be played there – it’s not just the South African game that the Zimbabweans play in South Africa, they play all their games, against anybody in South Africa – maybe you don’t know these things.
Finally, the comment I was waiting for. All of them just have to go!
It’s sad.
Gusau was in the board that failed with Amaju Pinnick to qualify for Qatar 2022 world cup.
He only got elected in September 2022 and will rather “die” than see his tenure truncated until 2026.
However (and knowing how most Nigerian leaders embrace sit-tight syndrome), if Eguavoen and his fellow travellers in the technical department as well as the other members of the board of NFF resigns, who’ll Gusau preside over?
As expected, he’ll run to FIFA instead of bowing out with grace and heck, other members too will sit right as well.
Let’s possibly enjoy another 12 months of one summersault to another. 12 months long sha.
It’ll be shocking though if NFF bows out as a whole because world cup appearances are the pinnacle of the success of their board (let’s try to forget what Morocco set in 2022 because we will not be too seeds anymore after double WC failures, in FIFA rankings again).
The question is:
Would NFF shock us on October 13th after the inevitable reality of missing the world stage for 12 straight years (2018 to 2030) and possibly still continue to miss out (because expanded participation of Africa to 9 teams at the first time of asking didn’t guarantee success)?
Morocco will jointly host 2030 edition meaning even more African participation but would our football not have declined so much by then that we’d even be dragging pots C or D with Lesotho and co, and therefore face off with the big boys and possibly any of the 5 LIKELY NEW DEBUTANTS FROM AFRICA with much more money from 2026 participation?
The gloom is so thick, more so, with aging and unmotivated squad.
Ire o, God bless Nigeria (in Omo9ja voice)
A lot of things are wrong, but I see it as physical, cultural and spiritual. The decline of the Nigerian national football team isn’t just about a few bad games. It’s deeper, systemic issues, cultural dysfunction, and even spiritual or psychological detachment from purpose and pride. Missing back to back FIFA World Cups.
NFF Mismanagement and Corruption. The heart of the problem is the NFF. The NFF has consistently failed in its basic responsibilities: Late appointment of managers, leading to a lack of tactical identity or consistency. No payments of player bonuses and allowances, which destroys motivation and morale. Political interference in squad selection, where certain officials allegedly influence which players get called up, not based on merit, but tribal connections or favoritism. This level of dysfunction breeds mediocrity. It discourages professionalism, and it shows in the players’ performances. You cannot build a world class team on a foundation of corruption and disorganization. I mean it makes sense to me, the bigger the country the more corrupt it will be.
Tribalism and Ethnic Favoritism. Tribalism still finds its way into squad dynamics. Over half the players are developers, who cant see this? I aint supporting no developer team. Certain ethnic groups dominate key areas of the pitch, particularly the midfield, which many argue is the weakest link in the team today. Read the comments on the instagram page. A lot of people are saying the same thing, no playmakers and the midfield is non existent. Instead of selecting midfielders who can dictate the tempo, make incisive passes, and link play to the forwards, we see players who prioritize dribbling and flashy footwork over effectiveness. The result? A disconnected midfield with no creativity, starving the likes of Osimhen, who is already struggling with injuries and can’t carry the team alone.
Ekong error prone.
Iwobi, Onyeka, Bruno, Chukwueze, Awaziem dont really offer anything. I can go on. The team will naturally suffer because people are rooting for their own. These people make up more than half the team and receive little to no criticism.
Osimhen is not the whole team and I take back saying osimhen is faking injury but he is so injury prone that people think he is faking an injury to avoid playing in the national team. Top clubs didnt want to sign him up not because of his attitude. Its because of the price tag, playing for africa when afcon comes later this year and he is injury prone. You dont rely on a player who is injury prone or is consistently in and out of the line up especially because of afcon. Heck, nicholas jackson is upset that he is down the pecking order because hes been replaced by a european and south american.
Nigerians waiting for others to fail for their team to move on. FIFA hasn’t helped. The global body often turns a blind eye to administrative rot in African football. Instead of imposing meaningful sanctions or demanding reform, they just issue fines and allow these corrupt systems to stay. Because deeper intervention would require effort and might expose just how deep it goes.
Total overhaul of the NFF with real accountability and selection based strictly on merit, not tribal lines or connections.
I bet the nff stealing funds and giving it to the small girls like the one who was flown out and starting acting up on the plane attacking the stewardess.
I mean favour ofili dumped nigeria for turkey. And I still remember that nigerian american girl who did the hammer toss represented nigeria 2 olympics back and couldn’t participate because of the organization failing to register them. She switched representing america and won silver medal.
On a side note, has anyone seen the obi of lagos get arrested? Hahahaha, developers. Taking over lagos, and now ondo and football starting lineup
If only our government is interested in football management. Well said obi. Seconded.
If Nigerian football had a funeral director, Ibrahim Gusau would be the undertaker — professional, efficient, and completely indifferent to the corpse. This man and his board are not administrators; they’re arsonists with clipboards, setting fire to the one thing that actually made Nigeria matter on the world stage: youth development. Balls of fire? No — meteors. Burn it down and call it “policy.”
Gusau is the most spectacularly incompetent NFF president we’ve ever had the misfortune of having. I’ve seen presidents who were dodgy, clueless, theatrical — but even by that low bar, Gusau is a different level of catastrophe. He doesn’t run a football association; he presides over a talent graveyard. The Golden Eaglets are no longer a conveyor belt of stars — they’re a lost tribe, struggling to qualify from WAFU B while the men in suits sip tea and issue bland statements. That’s not leadership. That’s malpractice.
Remember 2015? That was the last time our U17s actually produced something real. Ten years of nothing after that. Ten years of watching potential rot because the people meant to nurture it prefer press releases to planning. Instead of grooming future superstars, the NFF under Gusau has perfected the art of squandering potential. We’re hemorrhaging talent while they’re busy flattering cronies and playing musical chairs with coaches.
The Super Eagles are now a bloated show pony — all cost, no return. Billions poured in, results drained out. You can’t name a single long-term plan from this board because there isn’t one.
The u17 is often blighted by selection blunders, late preparations, MRI fiascos, ridiculous coach appointments — it’s a masterclass in how to turn gold into dust. And when questioned? Crickets. Or worse: excuses wrapped in jargon.
Gusau’s NFF is a circus where the clowns are the ringmasters. They treat youth football like an optional side hustle and national pride like a sponsorship line item. If these people had any shame, they’d resign quietly and leave the country to rebuild. But they don’t have shame — they have entitlement.
Here’s the ugly truth: Nigeria’s decline didn’t happen by accident. It was crafted — patiently, lazily, incompetently — by administrators who think football is a cash cow, not a legacy. If you love Nigerian football, this should anger you. If you don’t act, the next generation will only know the Super Eagles as a brand name that once meant something.
Gusau and your board: you’re not managers. You’re the pyromaniacs of our football future. But you will feel the heat from us if super Eagles fails to make it to 2 world cups in a row unless you burn the excuses.
It’s either you fix it, or step aside and let people who actually care — and know what they’re doing — rebuild from the ashes. Yes, rebuild.
“If Nigeria doesn’t qualify for the World Cup, the entire NFF board has to go… it’s unacceptable.
“We didn’t qualify for Qatar — the last World Cup — and now it looks like again we are not going to make it…”___Mikel Obi…..
The mole beam has finally fallen off their eyes…..hahahahahahaha
So up till now Mikel is not aware that Nigeria has nothing to do with 2026 world cup?……He should be talking about 2030 world cup….
Up till now i have not heard anything from Omo9ja and his Tin god mathematical odegbami…..
@Omo9ja please come out from whereever you are…..we want to hear your comment as per this abismmal performance of your NFF and your EX internationals…..Don’t go into hiding….
Alots attached to our dismal performance, a good friend here in düsseldorf Germany yesterday we were just jisting
And he said yeah i have told my son not to kill himself bcos of Nigeria national team looking at the way they abandoned the ex players and stuff, who is familiar with Germany would know the person am talking about
So alots going on underground that’s why i will not particularly debunked the story of faking injuries, we don’t really understand how much influence those ex players have on the young ones i mean the ex players that made names for them selfs most of dem are bitter and talk to the current players to be cautious ⚠️ while serving naija, on the issue of late ex footballers really i don’t know which side to fall in , Simply bcos for examples Germans had many ex footballers too that brought glory to their nation and they don’t take bills of those ex players after their demise, eg stuff like financial support or taking the burial bills ,this doesn’t happen here as well, of course they would show the families respect and be present at the burial mostly a well documented history of the players from childhood to becoming a star would be done and in the sport jounal stuff like that would be shown , am only conscious of stuff like this
Alots going on nff didn’t do anything to even change the situation….The players had started the qualifiers very very bad we all know but the death and history of our ex internationals fuel it more bcos the parents of these players want their kids to lay back a bit, couple with some role model ex players sounding it clear to the current ones to be very careful…
Nff will no loger share the Dollars $ FIFA will give to Teams that qualifies for the world cup. Because that’s what they’re there for
The federal government should immediately disband the Nigeria football association for the following reasons:
1. The nff has clearly shown the world that it is an organisation run by incompetent football administrators.
2. The nff did not raise the issue of wrong fixtures that gave south Africa undue advantage. Zimbabwe and lesotho ought to have played thier home matches at Namibia or Angola or Zambia. If have had the opportunity of residing in Namibia before so i am aware that they have facilities to host those matches instead of south Africa.
3. The nff board ought to have raised the issue of the state of the pitch or stadium used for south Africa vs nigeria match.
4. The off board failed to employ a competent foriegn coach on time.
5.aina and ndidi got injured because of the terrible pitch.
The efcc and dss need to carry out investigations into the finances of nff.