Interview with Fanny Amun conducted by Rasheed Adewuyi, New York
Former Super Eagles coach and renowned youth football tactician, Fanny Amun, has expressed serious concerns about the psychological state of Nigeria’s national team players during the recently concluded 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with JerseyNumber12 on Thursday, Amun revealed that several players struggled mentally and emotionally, which directly impacted their performances on the pitch.
“Many people don’t understand that a good player sometimes may play badly due to family problems or pressure from fans and pundits,” Amun stated.
The 1993 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning coach emphasized the need for a more transparent and mentally supportive environment within the Super Eagles setup. He urged the technical crew to be honest and constructive with the players to build confidence and mental resilience.
“If we used four different coaches during the qualifiers, what does that tell you about the players? Are they good enough? The coach should be blunt with his players when the standard is low,” Amun added.
Notably, the Super Eagles have not had a publicly known team psychologist since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where Dr. Robinson Okosun was engaged to support the players’ mental preparation and manage performance anxiety.
Amun also appealed to Nigerians not to direct their frustrations solely at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) following the team’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
“I will not be part of the people criticizing the NFF. I think we should go back and see where things went wrong and find a lasting solution to the problem,” he said.
Nigeria missed out on a World Cup spot for the second consecutive time after losing to DR Congo in the African play-off final on penalties. The match ended 1-1 after extra time, with the Super Eagles falling 4-3 in the shootout.
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