The Super Eagles’ decline in recent years continues to draw concern, and Sunday Oliseh believes the roots of Nigeria’s football problems go far deeper than poor tactics or missed chances, Footynaija.com reports.
In a now-viral video shared on X (formerly Twitter), the 1994 AFCON winner and Atlanta ’96 Olympic gold medallist revisited a haunting chapter from the early 2000s. It was one that he believes changed the course of Nigerian football.
According to Oliseh, the late Coach Joe Erico, once an assistant coach of the Super Eagles, laid a curse on the team after being unjustly dismissed alongside Stephen Keshi and Shaibu Amodu, shortly before the 2002 World Cup.
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That coaching trio had revived Nigeria’s qualification hopes after a shaky start to the 2002 campaign. They guided the team through crucial fixtures, restoring confidence and unity in a squad struggling to find direction.
But just months before the World Cup in Korea and Japan, they were abruptly removed from their roles, in a decision that left deep scars within the group.
Speaking on Bet9ja Home Turf, Oliseh recalled that period with emotion and disbelief:
“Coach Erico made it clear before his death that because of what they did to us in 2002, he sat down in his room in the night (naked) and cursed Nigeria,” Oliseh said in the viral clip.
“Keshi risked everything to make sure Nigeria qualified, calling me to his room during the qualifiers. But when we finally made it, we were all dropped. They said Sunday was stubborn, or that we insulted a minister; it was all lies.”
Oliseh described that episode as a turning point and a moment when Nigeria’s football “was destroyed from within.”
The team’s World Cup outing in 2002, which ended at the group stage with just one point, seemed to mark the start of a recurring pattern of chaos and inconsistency in the national setup.
Since then, the Super Eagles have endured fluctuating fortunes; from winning the 2013 AFCON to missing out entirely in 2012 and 2015, and most recently, battling for stability under new coach Eric Chelle in the ongoing 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
