By Rasheed Adewuyi, New York
Former Super Eagles defender Sam Sodje has hit out at the current and previous leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), blaming them for Nigeria’s failure to qualify for both the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups.
In an exclusive interview with JerseyNumber12, Sodje stated that Nigeria’s participation in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) may hide the deeper structural issues plaguing Nigerian football.
“Playing in the AFCON will not allow stakeholders and Nigerians to know that our football needs to be fixed,” he said. “Football is suffering in Nigeria. We need to do everything humanly possible to revive the game. The reality would have dawned on us if we had not qualified for this AFCON.”
Despite his criticism, Sodje backed the Super Eagles to go far in the tournament, tipping them for a semi-final finish at the competition, which kicks off this weekend in Morocco.
“At this point, we have to encourage the players and their manager to excel in Morocco,” Sodje urged. “We have the talents who can take us to the semifinals of the tournament if they can qualify from their group.”
Nigeria will face Tanzania in their Group C opener on December 23 at the Fez Stadium Complex, before facing Tunisia and Uganda in their remaining group matches.
The Super Eagles were eliminated from the 2022 World Cup by Ghana on away goals after a 1-1 aggregate score, and failed to qualify for the 2026 edition after losing 4-3 on penalties to DR Congo in a dramatic playoff.
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