Our correspondent from Nigeria, Boubacar Sani
The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nisom Woke, expressed the dissatisfaction of many Nigerians with the Super Eagles' failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, and tasked former captain Joseph Yobo with conveying the fans' disappointment to the players.
Woke made these remarks on Wednesday during the opening of the Kuji-Gwagualadda road in Abuja, where Yobo was among the prominent figures present.
Nigerian anger
According to the minister, many Nigerians remain dissatisfied with their country's failure to secure a place in the expanded 48-team World Cup, while other countries with less established football records successfully secured their places in the qualifiers.
Wick said: “Before I leave, one of our stars, Joseph Yobo, congratulated us. But let me take this opportunity to tell the Super Eagles that we are not satisfied. If no one tells you that, someone will applaud you.”.
The minister expressed his regret that Nigeria was not represented in the World Cup, despite the abundance of football talent in the world's major leagues.
He added: “I watch the World Cup and see teams I’ve never heard of qualifying for the tournament. I spend long hours watching unknown teams. In this context, there are at least 13 Nigerian players playing around the world, but we didn’t qualify.”.
widespread criticism
In a direct message to the team, Wick Leopold said: “Go and tell them we are not happy.”.
Nigeria's failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup continues to draw widespread criticism from football experts and fans, especially with the increase in the number of participating teams from 32 to 48.
Ultimately, the Green Eagles failed in the qualifying race, and were later eliminated from the knockout stages after losing to Congo on penalties.
