Nigeria Football In ‘Worst Time In History’ – Odegbami

Former Nigeria international Segun Odegbami has described the current state of Nigerian football as the “worst time” in its history, as the Super Eagles prepare to begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

Odegbami, 74, who won the 1980 AFCON on home soil, told BBC Sport Africa, that the country’s recent failures represent a “tectonic shift” for one of Africa’s traditional powers.

Over the past 12 months, both the Super Eagles and Super Falcons failed to qualify for their respective Fifa World Cups. Beyond the senior national teams, Nigeria has also endured disappointing results at age-group level and in African club competitions, although the West Africans recently reached the quarter-finals of the Under-20 Women’s World Cup.

“It has never been this bad in our entire history that we didn’t qualify for the World Cup,” Odegbami said.

“Our girls, who were African champions, failed to win a competition that was just there for their taking. All our junior teams are not doing well.

“Our local league is not bringing in money. Something is definitely wrong.”

The crisis has already triggered major changes within the Nigeria Football Federation. NFF president Ibrahim Gusau, general secretary Mohammed Sanusi and multiple members of the federation’s executive committee resigned last month following mounting criticism.

Odegbami said Nigerian football had not been represented by its “first XI administrators” and called for a restructure to create the conditions for long-term development.

“The outcry by Nigerians was total. Everybody wanted them out, to the extent that the President of the country himself made the pronouncement that he wanted reforms,” he said.

“Everything came together like a jigsaw puzzle and is working now for us to produce a blueprint that will cover every aspect of our football development.”

A joint delegation from world governing body Fifa and the Confederation of African Football has been involved in discussions with the National Sports Commission over the future structure of Nigerian football.

The parties are working towards a roadmap for comprehensive reforms, but NFF elections scheduled for 27 September have been suspended. President Bola Tinubu has stated his desire for reform to overcome what he called “repeated failures.”

Emmanuel Ikpeme has been appointed NFF interim general secretary, with Ademola Olajire as interim deputy general secretary.

The changes have prompted renewed debate among stakeholders over whether the country needs a deeper restructuring.

Nigerian sports journalist Fisayo Dairo believes any reform must extend beyond a change in leadership.

“The reform should be the setting up of a proper framework and structure that our football can thrive on,” Dairo told BBC Sport Africa.

“[We need to] develop national teams, harness talent from the grassroots and have governance that incorporates all forms of stakeholders.

“The corporate world has to be fully represented so that the administration is able to generate funds.”

For Odegbami, the current situation is a stark contrast to the era in which he helped transform the Nigerian game. Nicknamed “Mathematical” for his precision and skill on the ball, the forward was part of the Super Eagles side that won the country’s first continental title in 1980, beating Algeria 3-0 in the final in Lagos.

“We had unprecedented support and fortunately the stars aligned with us,” he said.

“It was an indescribable atmosphere during that period. That experience you can’t even describe and compare. It remains indelible in our minds.”

Odegbami scored 23 goals in 47 appearances for Nigeria and was named in the team of the tournament as the Super Eagles won Afcon 1980. Nigeria lifted the trophy again in 1994 and 2013, and finished as runners-up at the 2023 edition. The team also finished third in 2019 and at the 2025 finals in Morocco.

However, Odegbami argues sport has “not been a priority” of successive governments and believes his nation has been failed by football administrators since the mid-1990s.

“The pilots are not guiding us well, they haven’t guided us well,” he said.

“And that has affected every aspect of our football development: the grassroots, the discovery of players, the development of the players, the establishment of the institutions that will take care of them, the academies, the clubs that they will go into both locally and internationally.

“What is the coaching methodology? What is the philosophy of our football in the country? What is our culture, what is our style?”

Alongside the failure to reach the past two men’s World Cups, concerns over deteriorating infrastructure and inadequate investment have become recurring themes in discussions about the state of the Nigerian game.

Across Africa, other nations have continued to invest in hosting major competitions. Senegal will host the Youth Olympic Games next month, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia are holding next year’s men’s Cricket World Cup, Kenya will stage the 2029 World Athletics Championship, and Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.

Odegbami bemoaned the fact that top-class stadiums Nigeria used to possess have fallen into disrepair after being neglected. He named the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, which hosted games during the 1980 and 2000 Afcons, the Liberty Stadium — now Obafemi Awolowo Stadium — in Ibadan, Kaduna’s Ahmadu Bello Stadium and the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar.

“I weep when I think of the amount of damage they have done to Nigerian football — the infrastructure that we had in the country, some of the historic monuments that were facilities for football in this country,” he said.

“Whether it was wilful, whether it was ignorance, they did irreparable damage to what was Nigeria’s heritage.

“Uyo is the best we have in Nigeria, but it is not half as good as what we had from the 1960s to the 90s.”

The Super Eagles will begin their Afcon 2027 qualifying campaign against Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Friday at 16:00 GMT before travelling to Guinea-Bissau on 29 September.

Former African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen has been ruled out of Eric Chelle’s squad through injury.