Related Post
Former Nigerian international Victor Ikpeba has placed the blame for the Super Eagles’ faltering 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign squarely on the shoulders of the players, not the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Footynaija.com reports.
Nigeria, who missed out on the 2022 tournament in Qatar, are once again in danger of falling short.
The Super Eagles sit third in their qualifying group, trailing leaders South Africa by six points and Benin Republic by three, with only the top team guaranteed a ticket to the Mundial in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
While frustrated fans have directed their anger at the NFF, accusing the body of poor administration, Ikpeba, a member of the federation’s technical committee, strongly disagrees.
“Our players should take the lion’s share of the blame for our shoddy performance so far in the World Cup qualifiers,” the former Monaco forward said while on SuperSport’s Monday Night Football.
“They were given everything they needed to deliver qualification without stress, but somehow they have not lived up to expectations.”
Ikpeba stressed that the federation had fulfilled its obligations, from travel to accommodation and logistics, leaving the players with no excuses.
“I won’t question their commitment, but with the quality of players we have, Nigeria should not be struggling in our group,” he said.
On calls for the federation’s leadership to step down, Ikpeba added: “Why are some people calling for the resignation of the NFF? Do they expect committee members to come and play the game on the pitch?”
Nigeria will conclude the final round of the qualifiers with games against Lesotho and Benin Republic in October.
