By Tony Ubani
Former Nigeria international, Segun Odegbami, who has become the lone voice in the wilderness has launched scathing criticisms on Nigerian football authorities, following the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
With the tournament continuing without Nigeria, Odegbami expressed frustration over what he described as an unacceptable situation for one of Africa’s biggest football nations.
“The government must act,” he insists.
He said that the government must act swiftly to remove dead woods from running Nigerian football as he noted that the incompetence of NFF officials is posing a threat to the one love and unity the country experiences when the Super Eagles are engaged in international competitions.
According to the former Green Eagles star, Nigeria’s absence from the World Cup should be a source of national concern which requires urgent attention from stakeholders.
“It’s not an Odegbami project, it’s a national call to save our football from the stranglehold of scavengers who have nothing to offer other than what they grab in the process. If people decide to peep from the window, I’ll go all the way,” Odegbami said.
‘Mathematical’, as he was fondly called in his hay days, said World Cup qualification should be considered a minimum expectation for a nation with Nigeria’s football pedigree.
Economically, Nigeria’s absence from the 2026 FIFA World Cup denied the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, a guaranteed $10.5 million (over N15.5 billion) in direct FIFA prize and preparation funds.
The country also loses crucial sponsorship investments, global player marketability, and local economic revenue from tourism and broadcast subscriptions.
Participating nations in the expanded 48-team tournament are guaranteed at least $10.5 million, which represents up to 87 percent of NFF’s projected annual budget.
These ‘missing’ FIFA funds would have been deployed for grassroots development projects to build sustainable football infrastructure beyond the World Cup cycle.
