National Teams
Robert Onyeani: Blame Super Eagles players, Not NFF for Nigeria’ World Cup struggles
Chairman of Ahudiyannem, Dr. Robert Daniel Onyeani, has said the Super Eagles’ failure to take control of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign is the fault of the players, not the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Onyeani, popularly known as Roco, said the players lacked determination and obedience, which he described as the missing ingredients in Nigeria’s bid to secure qualification. While he further admitted that Nigeria can still qualify, he warned that success will only come if the players raise their commitment.
“How can you blame administrators or leadership of NFF? You can’t blame them. How many draws did we play in Nigeria? Was it the administrators that played the draws?” Onyeani asked.
“When you are determined to do something, you get results. When you don’t have obedience and determination, results will be far away from you.
“Are our players determined to play for the country or know the importance of playing at the World Cup?
“Determination gives quality results. We can’t get 12 points from Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Rwanda, and Benin Republic. Blame the players. If you know the importance of going to the World Cup, you win games.
“It’s not leadership problem. It’s the players. They are not determined,” he said.
Nigeria are third in Group C with 11 points from eight matches, recording two wins, five draws and one loss.
Their only defeat came in a 2-1 loss to Benin, while they dropped points in draws against Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Benin top the group with 14 points, the same as South Africa but with a better goal difference. Rwanda also have 11 points, Lesotho are on nine and Zimbabwe are bottom with four.
