Following Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has called for the resignation of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) leadership.
Nigeria’s football administration has come under fire again for not participating in the international competition, which will take place in the US, Canada, and Mexico next summer. According to Mikel Obi, the loss was detrimental for a country with such a large football fan base.
The former Chelsea midfielder was candid in his evaluation of the situation when he spoke on talkSPORT.
“It is a hammer blow, and I have said it so many times that the FA, the people who run the FA, should all resign when you have a country as big as we do, over 300 million people, the biggest country in Africa, and we are not going to the World Cup (for) the second time in a row,” he stated.
“Even though we have one of Africa’s top teams, we won’t be at the World Cup. It is a catastrophe. It’s a catastrophe.
Nigeria’s previous World Cup appearance was in 2018, and many fans are upset over the possibility of missing consecutive competitions.
The Super Eagles still have a slim chance of qualifying for the competition, according to reports. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is accused by the NFF of fielding ineligible players in the 2025 African playoff final in a petition submitted to FIFA.
A decision from the world governing body of football is anticipated prior to the intercontinental playoff in Mexico later this month. If the petition is granted, Nigeria may still be able to into the race.
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