By Obiako Chris Okechukwu on August 12, 2026

It has never been so catastrophic and traumatic for the beautiful game in Nigeria in the past one decade, or thereabout.

From the glory days of our most successful national team (men's U-17, that conquered the world in 1985), it was sunshine all the way for our U-20 team (who were runners up in the 1989 World Cup) to our U-23 Olympics team (who won gold at Atlanta '96), everything was smooth-sailing. 

It was simply heavenly.

Even the senior national team, Super Eagles, were not left out of the resounding success stories. 

After lifting the African Nations Cup in 1994 in Tunisia, the Clemens Westerhorf-led team not only gave us our first ever FIFA World Cup ticket, they defied all odds to qualify for the second round of the USA '94 Mundial.

Realistically, those years witnessed very ardent, resilient, committed and selfless football administrators, who gave their all to ensure a fruitful and successful outing for our national teams.

Remarkably, the best of football excellence in Nigeria was witnessed betwen 1983 and 2002 when we had Tony Ikazoboh, John Obakpolor, Chuba Ikpeazu, Efiom Okon, Yusuf Ali, Amos Adamu, Emeka Omeruah, Abdulmumini Aminu and Dominic Oneya. 

These were men who not only made their mark in the annals of Nigeria's football administration, they left their foot prints in the sands of time.

And to imagine that after 2002, the sport took a nosedive (courtesy of self-centered and visionless leaders who politicised everything about football) is unimaginable.

It will be recalled that one or two of those former NFA/NFF helmsmen even moved the national teams from traditional slaughter ground of opponents (National Stadium Surulere, Lagos) to where observers described as 'neutral grounds'.

It's pertinent to point out here that the Super Eagles' failure to qualify for Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup was as a result of this anomaly.

While reflecting on the tenure of Amaju Pinnick, I won't be mincing words to describe his era as 8 years of executive rascality.

Those were years when Nigeria's football witnessed devastation of the highest dimension

which culminated in our failure to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Finals in Qatar. 

With Pinnick's exit, Nigerians heaved a sigh of relief. But it didn't last long.

His stooge, Ibrahim Gusau, made matters worse, thereby setting an ignoble record of being Nigeria's worst football administrator.

Nigeria's horrific record under Gusau's watch is unthinkable.

They include the Super Eagles missing the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Golden Eaglets failing to feature in the last three World Cup Finals, the Flying Eagles missing the World Cup, the U-23 missing the Olympic Games, and the icing on the cake: Super Falcons' (winners of WAFCON 10 times) disastrous outing in the 2026 WAFCON Championship in Morocco.

It's also very prominent to point out that Gusau's calamitous reign witnessed ZERO grassroots or infrastructural development.

We still have (in the whole of Nigeria) just one grass pitch (at Godswill Akpabio Stadium Uyo), while fellow African countries like Morocco, South African, Egypt have more than 30 grass pitches each, spread across their territories.

What a doubting Thomas needs to quench his 'taste' is a visit to the National Stadium, Surulere as well as the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja. 

Needless to state that both stadia are in complete shambles as we rub minds.

No Nigerian club has reached the quarter-finals of the CAF Champions League or CAF Confederations Cup, and let alone win any.

No Nigerian referee has been selected to officiate in any CAF or FIFA tournament.

Nigerian referees are still owed a backlog of allowances and bonuses over the years.

It was also in Gusau's time that Nigerians and the world witnessed an unprecedented show of shame as the Super Eagles staged 2 walk-outs before the World Cup play-off match in Morocco and the 2025 AFCON match in Morocco respectively.

And to envisage that a man who has held our football by the jugular over years; years of gnashing of teeth and trauma for 200 million football followers, is gallivanting all over the country seeking a second term is bonkers.

Like I have maintained severally, sanity means doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result. 

Gusau has been part and parcel of NFF for 18 years, and his more than 3 years of over-seeing the affairs of our football (as NFF President) have been nothing short of disaster.

So, what is the sense in seeking another 4 years? 

Millions of soccer-mad Nigerians cannot afford to be watching global tournaments as spectators from their sitting rooms.

Millions of Nigerians should not fold their arms and watch a bunch of 'road side' administrators destroy the only game that unites all Nigerians.

Nigerians should stand up now, and save the beautiful game, and in the process reclaim our enviable position in football circles.

We cannot carry on as if nothing happened, or is happening. 

We cannot keep running round a circle without advancing. 

We cannot keep repeating same mistakes, over and over and over again, yet expecting progress.

It is time to chase away those who brazenly and blatantly destroyed our football, and are still hanging around the corridors of the Glass House, dictating the pace, and calling the shots.

Like foremost administrator, ex-international and public affairs analyst, Segun Odegbami, MON, posited, now is the time to extinguish the shenanigans of Pinnick, Gusau and all the henchmen who have bestrode on our football like Colossus.

Even if it requires a prolonged court case, where the interpretation and interrogation of the real power and roles of FIFA will take place.

Even if it requires cutting off FIFA, and damning their threats of ban and isolation, so be it.

The bottom line is: 

We MUST pursue those sitting on the progress of our football. 

We MUST snatch our football from them.

We MUST run with it!

The time to do that is NOW!

NEXT WEEK: OSIHMEN'S RECKLESS AND BEASTLY TENDENCIES HAVE REACHED A CRESCENDO

Source DailySports Nigeria

Posted August 12, 2026

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