National Teams
Dalung blames ‘corruption, impunity & hypocrisy’ for Nigeria’s Football decline after DR Congo defeat
Former Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, has issued a blistering critique of Nigeria’s football establishment, saying the Super Eagles’ latest World Cup elimination is the direct consequence of decades of corruption, impunity and institutional decay.
Reacting to Nigeria’s defeat to DR Congo in the CAF World Cup qualifying playoffs, Dalung said he was neither shocked nor disappointed by the outcome, arguing that “the rot has been visible for years.”
“When I assumed office as Minister in November 2015 wearing my khaki and red beret, the general consensus was that a complete novice had arrived,” he said.
“My unassuming appearance convinced many it would be business as usual. But I had been deeply familiar with the sports ecosystem long before stepping into the Ministry.”
Dalung traced his understanding of football governance problems to 2002, when he served on the Federal Government delegation to the Africa Cup of Nations in Mali.
He recalled witnessing a dispute between then-captain Sunday Oliseh and the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) over player bonuses and what he described as “the high-handedness of officials.”
“Even the estacode due to me was never paid,” he said. “We were stranded and only survived through the intervention of the Nigerian embassy and some patriotic citizens.”
‘A system that works harder for failure’
Dalung said he entered office guided by a personal philosophy inherited from a mentor — “When you go to the community of cunning people, behave like a fool.” This, he said, enabled corrupt actors to reveal themselves, although many misinterpreted his strategy as ignorance.
One of the most striking lessons during his tenure, he said, came from a veteran cleaner in the ministry.
“He told me, ‘My son, do you know in sports we work harder for failure than for success?’” Dalung recounted. “He explained that tournament budgets are prepared from the group stage to the finals, so administrators benefit when the team crashes out early because unearned funds are never accounted for.”
According to Dalung, that insight proved accurate. “Each time I demanded accountability, it was mischievously repackaged as ‘ministerial interference,’” he said, adding that threats of FIFA sanctions were used to shield officials from scrutiny.
Technical committee recommended drastic measures
In an effort to address governance failures, Dalung said he established a high-level Technical Committee chaired by Col. Abdulmumuni, comprising former NFA chairmen, ex-secretaries, coaches, former internationals and private-sector representatives.
He said the committee’s report revealed “monumental corruption, unpaid allowances, nepotism, impunity, injustice and a chronic lack of transparency and accountability.”
Among its most controversial recommendations was that Nigeria should voluntarily withdraw from international football for six months and request FIFA to install a Normalisation Committee to overhaul football governance.
According to Dalung, the Ministry accepted the proposal and conveyed it to both the Presidency and FIFA. However, the plan collapsed after President Muhammadu Buhari fell ill.
“In a shocking breach of protocol, the Presidency wrote FIFA to disown the Ministry’s report without recourse to the Minister,” he said. “That singular act was a major victory for corruption and impunity.”
‘Failure is no longer accidental’
Dalung said he remains troubled by the consequences of what he described as a missed opportunity for reform.
“I am personally devastated that since 2018, Nigeria has failed repeatedly to qualify for the World Cup,” he said.
“The reasons are neither mysterious nor accidental. Until we confront the rot with courage, the ghosts of indecision, corruption and impunity will continue to define our football destiny.”
He insisted that Nigeria’s biggest deficit is not talent, but integrity, leadership and accountability.
“Until those ghosts are exorcised,” he warned, “heartbreaks like the loss to DR Congo will continue to haunt the nation.”
