African Football Discussion Thread: {Current Topic: 👉 AFCON 2027 ⚽⚽}.

[abaeze]

If you check the players playing in elite European leagues, the Super Eagles have more of them than any other African country. So it doesn't make sense to keep seeing these disgusting performances from them. Look at how Senegal and Morocco are playing, honestly to me their matches are more entertaining than Super Eagles games.

I think the Super Eagles' current situation is not just because of their poor performance but also because of player selection, tactics, and team structure and coaching overall in all sections. It is not right to ignore these issues because if they are performing well individually in European leagues then why they can't able to perform well in domestic games or in the country? This should be observed in depth now. At one time, they used to perform very well in the biggest football platforms like the World Cup but now they can't qualify to participate in the main game. So, if these things are researched, analyzed and considered very well, a good permanent solution is possible. For this, good management and honest genuine football friendly committee are needed who will be able to take any big step for the development of Nigerian football without any pressure or hindrance.

[Obulis]

This is almost similar to what happened at the time that the super eagles started their world cup qualifications. the likes of victor osimehn and some key players were missing at the early stage of the qualification and by the time the time they returned back, the damages had already been done. The super eagles have to learn how to survive without him because this is extremely necessary. if the other front guys cant take advantage of his absence to show that they are equally capable of scoring goals and helping the nation qualify for the African cup of nations.

If when a key player goes on injury the team loose out on qualification games that are ideally less demanding, then it means that we don't have a tea, to even start with.

Did you know that I was going to make a similar comment because this was also the same line of thought I had too.
The team needs to learn how to play without a super-star because just as you have already said one day, the super-stars will be unavoidably absent.
Having a super star in the team doesn't equal a win ...we have already seen that happen over and over again. What truly makes the difference is when everyone plays as a team. Simply put teamwork.
I strongly believe that we can beat any team without the likes of Osimhen if we can play as a team.

These triggers me to ask a question, can a super star win match alone? The answer is no. Definitely the influence of a super star is real much more when he fully personally cooperates with the others and the others in healthy personal cooperation with him also outside the football field. The team can't handle itself as if without this super star no winning will ever happen, doing that means losing before ever going into the football field.
Even with good personal cooperation with super star(s) outside the football field, they also needs these cooperativeness in the football field like you called it @davidvictorson teamwork.
Having a super star should just be a plus not the whole game.

[Rockson1]

It's a shame if the Super Eagles are not good enough to win or play a beautiful football because we see how well they perform in their clubs and that’s why people always have high expectations that they could do better for the country, but I don’t know why they play entirely different football when they come to represent Nigeria.

If you check the players playing in elite European leagues, the Super Eagles have more of them than any other African country. So it doesn't make sense to keep seeing these disgusting performances from them. Look at how Senegal and Morocco are playing, honestly to me their matches are more entertaining than Super Eagles games.

I will blame the supper eagles players, but I will start by condemning the act of the NFF who has not been up and doing in their act, I understand that, much is expected from the super eagles, but we know that to whom much is expected, much is given, it is not as if I support the unexpected performance of super eagles, though they won, but they did not win at ease, which was not our expectations.
To solve this problem is simple, if our foreign players are not giving us what we want, we can get the younger ones that can make things happen for us, I will not withdraw this statement, some of our foreign based players are trying to retain their place in their club, because if they happens to get injured, they might likely be abandoned by Nigeria and what happens to their future.

[kingstep]

A lot of the comments post Nigeria - Madagascar game have been bashing the Super Eagles for conceding a goal. I don’t know how you guys have so much arrogance when it comes to this team. Nigeria isn’t one of the strongest teams in Africa imo. We have individually brilliant players but they are a pain to watch as a team. It’s high time we accept that we are not good enough to win games convincingly, or even attempt to play “beautiful football”. For a struggling team like the Super Eagles, all that should matter is the result.

You stated some reasons why they are often bashed and it's so much better that they are. Looking at the game and now seeing winning is not enough to save them for criticism is good and soon maybe some of thise mediocre act will be a thing of the past. We can do really much especially in our coming AFCON Competition.

A team that could not qualify for the last world cup deserves all the bashing they are getting because that is the only way we can be let them know that are not a small team and shouldn't be allowing anyone get pass them even in their home soil. conceding first is a big deal because anything can happen afterwards and so anyone that demands them to be accountable is not doing anything wrong. against smaller teams, they need to show complete dominance and not going behind and struggling to win game even with the home advantage.

We are a populous nation and anyone that get picked to represent the country owes us good result and nothing less.

[Sunshine1525]

If you check the players playing in elite European leagues, the Super Eagles have more of them than any other African country. So it doesn't make sense to keep seeing these disgusting performances from them. Look at how Senegal and Morocco are playing, honestly to me their matches are more entertaining than Super Eagles games.

I think the Super Eagles' current situation is not just because of their poor performance but also because of player selection, tactics, and team structure and coaching overall in all sections. It is not right to ignore these issues because if they are performing well individually in European leagues then why they can't able to perform well in domestic games or in the country? This should be observed in depth now. At one time, they used to perform very well in the biggest football platforms like the World Cup but now they can't qualify to participate in the main game. So, if these things are researched, analyzed and considered very well, a good permanent solution is possible. For this, good management and honest genuine football friendly committee are needed who will be able to take any big step for the development of Nigerian football without any pressure or hindrance.

I think NFF is the major problem why the Super Eagles are not performing well like before, i didn't put all the blame on them cause they're not responsible for the injury of players or ask them to not to create or miss chances but they're not professionally organised like other nations that are doing well and they're corrupt, all thesee contributes to why our players are performing below expectation despite having lots of professionals in the team.

We don't even have quality training facilities, players are not well taken care of, the worst of all is hearing how netizens argue over which stadium should be called a home base which means we don't have one for now. We have a lot of talents but when the system is not properly functioning then it would also affect our performance on the pirch too. Until the NFF starts acting like a professional organization, that's when there would be room for improvement.

[Silikiem]

A lot of the comments post Nigeria - Madagascar game have been bashing the Super Eagles for conceding a goal. I don’t know how you guys have so much arrogance when it comes to this team. Nigeria isn’t one of the strongest teams in Africa imo. We have individually brilliant players but they are a pain to watch as a team. It’s high time we accept that we are not good enough to win games convincingly, or even attempt to play “beautiful football”. For a struggling team like the Super Eagles, all that should matter is the result.

It's a shame if the Super Eagles are not good enough to win or play a beautiful football because we see how well they perform in their clubs and that’s why people always have high expectations that they could do better for the country, but I don’t know why they play entirely different football when they come to represent Nigeria.

If you check the players playing in elite European leagues, the Super Eagles have more of them than any other African country. So it doesn't make sense to keep seeing these disgusting performances from them. Look at how Senegal and Morocco are playing, honestly to me their matches are more entertaining than Super Eagles games.

Most of the super eagles players were developed in Europe, they received every necessary football training in Europe and you can’t compare European football and African football. If this players are being given the necessary equipment and provided by the standard training facilities here in Nigeria you will see a change in the playing pattern.  I won’t doubt that they played differently when playing for the national team especially at home but we should also consider a lot of things that could change their playing patterns here at hone. When you look at the pitch here, mostly they’re nothing to write home about, the stadium and the facilities are not standard when compared to the ones they use in Europe. The way the management treats them at home will also affect their level of commitment and performance when playing for the national team. I think the structure needs to start from the Federation. The NFF need to stop playing politics with Nigeria football and develop the equipment and facilities. You talk of Morocco football how they players are playing well it boils down to the transformative works and investment from their football federation.

[Shineup]

If you check the players playing in elite European leagues, the Super Eagles have more of them than any other African country. So it doesn't make sense to keep seeing these disgusting performances from them. Look at how Senegal and Morocco are playing, honestly to me their matches are more entertaining than Super Eagles games.

I think the Super Eagles' current situation is not just because of their poor performance but also because of player selection, tactics, and team structure and coaching overall in all sections. It is not right to ignore these issues because if they are performing well individually in European leagues then why they can't able to perform well in domestic games or in the country? This should be observed in depth now. At one time, they used to perform very well in the biggest football platforms like the World Cup but now they can't qualify to participate in the main game. So, if these things are researched, analyzed and considered very well, a good permanent solution is possible. For this, good management and honest genuine football friendly committee are needed who will be able to take any big step for the development of Nigerian football without any pressure or hindrance.

I don't know for others, but to me? It's been long I stopped watching Nigeria games, because I can't be having a disappointing game each and everytime I make out chance to watch their games, sometimes I ask if those players really want to continue playing for Nigeria or what, because when you look at it from the other angle, the system in Nigeria is so messed up, the government are not trying and you expect these guys to be at their best on their own profession, because mare looking at the Nigerian national team alone, they have almost what it takes to compete even on the top level of the FIFA World Cup, but yet find it difficult to qualify everytime.

[Abdulzuruku01]

Most of the super eagles players were developed in Europe, they received every necessary football training in Europe and you can’t compare European football and African football. If this players are being given the necessary equipment and provided by the standard training facilities here in Nigeria you will see a change in the playing pattern.  I won’t doubt that they played differently when playing for the national team especially at home but we should also consider a lot of things that could change their playing patterns here at hone. When you look at the pitch here, mostly they’re nothing to write home about, the stadium and the facilities are not standard when compared to the ones they use in Europe. The way the management treats them at home will also affect their level of commitment and performance when playing for the national team. I think the structure needs to start from the Federation. The NFF need to stop playing politics with Nigeria football and develop the equipment and facilities. You talk of Morocco football how they players are playing well it boils down to the transformative works and investment from their football federation.

Well you made good points though. But everyone knows the issue of lack of training facilities has been there for a very long time and to me that isn't the major reason for their incompetence, Yeah I know lack of training facilities is part of it. But honestly, some of our players don't show the same readiness for the national team as they do in their clubs. If not even with average training facilities they could do much better in my opinion.

[POPOLUV]

It's a shame if the Super Eagles are not good enough to win or play a beautiful football because we see how well they perform in their clubs and that’s why people always have high expectations that they could do better for the country, but I don’t know why they play entirely different football when they come to represent Nigeria.

If you check the players playing in elite European leagues, the Super Eagles have more of them than any other African country. So it doesn't make sense to keep seeing these disgusting performances from them. Look at how Senegal and Morocco are playing, honestly to me their matches are more entertaining than Super Eagles games.

I will blame the supper eagles players, but I will start by condemning the act of the NFF who has not been up and doing in their act, I understand that, much is expected from the super eagles, but we know that to whom much is expected, much is given, it is not as if I support the unexpected performance of super eagles, though they won, but they did not win at ease, which was not our expectations.
To solve this problem is simple, if our foreign players are not giving us what we want, we can get the younger ones that can make things happen for us, I will not withdraw this statement, some of our foreign based players are trying to retain their place in their club, because if they happens to get injured, they might likely be abandoned by Nigeria and what happens to their future.

Anything concerning super eagles selection of players to play for the team, is totally base on politice because it has gone on those when super eagles is still super eagles and the major causes of why super eagles always disappoint anytime they play match and even with the match they are meant to win without struggling and yet they will still experience struggle to win all the times is because of the parttern in which they select players to join the super eagles team is what is killing the super eagles today, most of the players the players playing in super eagles right now, is based government official that has power or connection in the government that wants their sons to play for super eagles and why those that are meant to play very well super eagles are deny the opportunity to play for super eagles, so since the current players are not really giving us what we needed, will still have so many talented players that are fit in to make things happen for super eagles.

[Judith87403]

I don't know for others, but to me? It's been long I stopped watching Nigeria games, because I can't be having a disappointing game each and everytime I make out chance to watch their games, sometimes I ask if those players really want to continue playing for Nigeria or what, because when you look at it from the other angle, the system in Nigeria is so messed up, the government are not trying and you expect these guys to be at their best on their own profession, because mare looking at the Nigerian national team alone, they have almost what it takes to compete even on the top level of the FIFA World Cup, but yet find it difficult to qualify everytime.

Regardless of the corruption in the football body of Nigeria, Nigerians still have great love for their country irrespective of the fact that they mostly disappoint in crucial matches. You need to see the numbers of Nigerians that even pays money in viewing centres just to watch their matches. We cannot stop supporting our own despite their underperformances. I do not blame the Super Eagles players because how do they expect them to play with a sound mind when their allowances are not paid. Nigeria is a great country with millions of football supporters, they should make a change now and develop this team to a standard that will impress us. Missing out in the world cup for 3 consecutive edition is a very big disappointment for the giants of Africa.

[ArabBTC]

I think the Super Eagles' current situation is not just because of their poor performance but also because of player selection, tactics, and team structure and coaching overall in all sections. It is not right to ignore these issues because if they are performing well individually in European leagues then why they can't able to perform well in domestic games or in the country? This should be observed in depth now. At one time, they used to perform very well in the biggest football platforms like the World Cup but now they can't qualify to participate in the main game. So, if these things are researched, analyzed and considered very well, a good permanent solution is possible. For this, good management and honest genuine football friendly committee are needed who will be able to take any big step for the development of Nigerian football without any pressure or hindrance.

The first question should be what is causing their poor performance? The answer is corruption, majority of the players playing for super Eagles today won’t have gotten the opportunity to play if not for corruption, some are picked out of political influence making it difficult for the coach to even bench them and at the end the real people that are supposed to play won’t get the opportunity to play. Sincerely if the issue of corruption isn’t first dealt with it will be difficult, that is the foundation of everything that is going wrong, most of the Super Eagles players aren’t putting in their best effort because even if they do the country won’t acknowledge it.

[Stepstowealth]

I think the Super Eagles' current situation is not just because of their poor performance but also because of player selection, tactics, and team structure and coaching overall in all sections. It is not right to ignore these issues because if they are performing well individually in European leagues then why they can't able to perform well in domestic games or in the country? This should be observed in depth now. At one time, they used to perform very well in the biggest football platforms like the World Cup but now they can't qualify to participate in the main game. So, if these things are researched, analyzed and considered very well, a good permanent solution is possible. For this, good management and honest genuine football friendly committee are needed who will be able to take any big step for the development of Nigerian football without any pressure or hindrance.

The first question should be what is causing their poor performance? The answer is corruption, majority of the players playing for super Eagles today won’t have gotten the opportunity to play if not for corruption, some are picked out of political influence making it difficult for the coach to even bench them and at the end the real people that are supposed to play won’t get the opportunity to play.

It will be better if you just go ahead to mention the the Super Eagles players who you think are being picked based on political influence because currently I think majority of the players on the Super Eagles team are players who play for top teams in other leagues and have earned their place to be called for national duties. It is difficult for the coach to play every player because he's trying to manage the players he has to be able to get the best results for the national team. There will definitely not be opportunity for many of these players so for any player who makes it into the first 11 it's a struggle they have to go through to fight for their place there.
I agree that there is corruption in Nigerian football but I don't think that is the area majorly where corruption is.

[Sticky Bomb]

If you check the players playing in elite European leagues, the Super Eagles have more of them than any other African country. So it doesn't make sense to keep seeing these disgusting performances from them. Look at how Senegal and Morocco are playing, honestly to me their matches are more entertaining than Super Eagles games.

You cannot compare countries that invest greatly in their football to Nigeria which neglects theirs. These players are very much underappreciated when they play for Nigeria, sometimes they're owed their match bonuses and allowances, so they have little or no motivation to give their best for the country. The president has little or no interest in sports and the sports ministers aren't helping matters. I've seen a situation that players got injured while on international duties and Nigeria left their treatment for their clubs. Most players avoid getting injured while on international duties because they know Nigeria wouldn't sponsor their effective treatments.

Nigeria must give the sports sector the required priority and funding for things to start working well like in other countries. Normally, we've the squad to dominate African football, but the players are less or not motivated to give their bests.

[ArabBTC]

It will be better if you just go ahead to mention the the Super Eagles players who you think are being picked based on political influence because currently I think majority of the players on the Super Eagles team are players who play for top teams in other leagues and have earned their place to be called for national duties. It is difficult for the coach to play every player because he's trying to manage the players he has to be able to get the best results for the national team. There will definitely not be opportunity for many of these players so for any player who makes it into the first 11 it's a struggle they have to go through to fight for their place there.
I agree that there is corruption in Nigerian football but I don't think that is the area majorly where corruption is.

It is actually not about calling names, neither is about who is playing in foreign base clubs, the thing is African players mostly have a wrong mentality, they play with a lot of zeal and passion in their early carrier days but once they are signed by top world clubs you will observe that their passion drops. We experienced this kind of lackadaisical trend in Michael Obi who was at a time rated alongside Lionel Messi but within few years see the wide gap because Michael lost his passion, same thing happened to Iheanacho he was exceptional to the point Man City bought him to be their attacker but today he is no longer a factor when it comes to world football.

To me the coach should try some other home base players not minding whether the players are in a big team or not, i feel this other once that have already gotten the chance to play in Europe are no longer ready to put in their best compared to this younger home base players that would want to put in their best so that they can be noticed by foreign clubs, the only challenge is that corruption won’t give such home base players the opportunity rather they will prefer to call them Iwobi that will be strolling on the pitch even when they lose the ball because they are already made and don’t want any injury or stress, it is only when players like Iwobi etc go back to their foreign clubs that they normally give their best.

[Fiatless]

You cannot compare countries that invest greatly in their football to Nigeria which neglects theirs. These players are very much underappreciated when they play for Nigeria, sometimes they're owed their match bonuses and allowances, so they have little or no motivation to give their best for the country. The president has little or no interest in sports and the sports ministers aren't helping matters. I've seen a situation that players got injured while on international duties and Nigeria left their treatment for their clubs. Most players avoid getting injured while on international duties because they know Nigeria wouldn't sponsor their effective treatments.

Nigeria must give the sports sector the required priority and funding for things to start working well like in other countries. Normally, we've the squad to dominate African football, but the players are less or not motivated to give their bests.

Most of your observation is are correct.  Nigeria needs to take the welfare of players and coaches seriously if they want to get the best from them. Seeing players going on strike during important competitions is a shame considering that Nigeria doesn't lack financial resources.

Let me add that Nigeria needs to invest in the local league. I am not saying we don't need foreign-based players in the national team, but we need a blend of both. Home-based players are hungrier to make a name for themselves. So they end up putting their best in games. They want to attract attention from top clubs, so they give their best. Now, we have a local league that is underfunded and lacks basic infrastructure. 

Morocco has suddenly become the pride of Africa because the government gives enough attention to sports. I don't think any African country is investing more than Morocco, and the results are showing.

[Issa56]

but I don’t know why they play entirely different football when they come to represent Nigeria.

That’s the question which I think we are suppose to be asking each other. When super eagles players are playing in their European clubs, their performance is always so good, but when they are playing for their country, their performance is always so terrible. In Africa, super eagles are suppose to have the best sqaud, but we all can see how they are struggling to win matches, we can see how each of those players are always performing poorly when playing for Nigeria.

I know how corrupt the NFF can be, maybe they not taking good care of those players, that’s why they are not also performing well, or maybe they have other reasons for their poor performance, but I just hope super eagles performance is going to improve, they should start making us happy whenever they are playing.

[Agbamoni]

A lot of the comments post Nigeria - Madagascar game have been bashing the Super Eagles for conceding a goal. I don’t know how you guys have so much arrogance when it comes to this team. Nigeria isn’t one of the strongest teams in Africa imo. We have individually brilliant players but they are a pain to watch as a team. It’s high time we accept that we are not good enough to win games convincingly, or even attempt to play “beautiful football”. For a struggling team like the Super Eagles, all that should matter is the result.

You stated some reasons why they are often bashed and it's so much better that they are. Looking at the game and now seeing winning is not enough to save them for criticism is good and soon maybe some of thise mediocre act will be a thing of the past. We can do really much especially in our coming AFCON Competition.

A team that could not qualify for the last world cup deserves all the bashing they are getting because that is the only way we can be let them know that are not a small team and shouldn't be allowing anyone get pass them even in their home soil. conceding first is a big deal because anything can happen afterwards and so anyone that demands them to be accountable is not doing anything wrong. against smaller teams, they need to show complete dominance and not going behind and struggling to win game even with the home advantage.

We are a populous nation and anyone that get picked to represent the country owes us good result and nothing less.

Sometimes stop playing the players and start blaming the NFF. The Nigerian team was welcomed from the airport with a 2003 Honda Accord. Boys that play in top European teams are entering public transportation to get to their hotel. I'm sure they didn't have a nice rest after getting to their hotel. The NFF can't pay them the money owed, and you say the boys are the problem. Take a look at the Stadium. My friends who went there said the stadium was a mess. These boys will represent the badge well when the NFF decides to take football seriously. Stop blaming the players. They are doing more than the country deserves because we aren't treating them well.

[el che]

I usually don't watch African Cup qualifiers but since I had a bet on Morocco to beat Gabon with a -1.5 handicap I decided to watch. I was really impressed with Morocco during the last 2 World Cups and with Bouaddi in particular, as for the game they could have won by a larger margin but they missed a lot of chances and also got lucky a few times with Bono making some good saves. Morocco still needs a bit more time to gel, especially with some new faces and younger players being integrated into the squad following the World Cup like Zaibari and Maamar. Though they look like an exciting team to keep watching and they should be a big threat for the World Cup especially playing at home. Thanks Morocco for helping me win the bet!

[Hewlet]

Most of the super eagles players were developed in Europe, they received every necessary football training in Europe and you can’t compare European football and African football. If this players are being given the necessary equipment and provided by the standard training facilities here in Nigeria you will see a change in the playing pattern.  I won’t doubt that they played differently when playing for the national team especially at home but we should also consider a lot of things that could change their playing patterns here at hone. When you look at the pitch here, mostly they’re nothing to write home about, the stadium and the facilities are not standard when compared to the ones they use in Europe. The way the management treats them at home will also affect their level of commitment and performance when playing for the national team. I think the structure needs to start from the Federation. The NFF need to stop playing politics with Nigeria football and develop the equipment and facilities. You talk of Morocco football how they players are playing well it boils down to the transformative works and investment from their football federation.

Well you made good points though. But everyone knows the issue of lack of training facilities has been there for a very long time and to me that isn't the major reason for their incompetence, Yeah I know lack of training facilities is part of it. But honestly, some of our players don't show the same readiness for the national team as they do in their clubs. If not even with average training facilities they could do much better in my opinion.

Lack of training facility ke? how many matches do they play in our home ground and what additional facility do they need that we don't have? these guys have been in active football and fitness should not be a thing of concern. if they are not playing well, the last thing to look into is the availability of training facility. they are experienced balers and even when they are playing in the Goodwill Akpabio international stadium, i believe they tend to get better treatment compared to their opposition opponent, should that not give them all the advantage they need? there are far worse areas we are lacking in and the issue of lack of training facility is for me not part of them.

[Mr Reporter]

I will blame the supper eagles players, but I will start by condemning the act of the NFF who has not been up and doing in their act, I understand that, much is expected from the super eagles, but we know that to whom much is expected, much is given, it is not as if I support the unexpected performance of super eagles, though they won, but they did not win at ease, which was not our expectations.
To solve this problem is simple, if our foreign players are not giving us what we want, we can get the younger ones that can make things happen for us, I will not withdraw this statement, some of our foreign based players are trying to retain their place in their club, because if they happens to get injured, they might likely be abandoned by Nigeria and what happens to their future.

Is there even a need to to completely blame the Super Eagles after facing a lot issues with the government, I think it would look so bad to blame them, you are correct their performance was not convincing but the main was winning which they won, still saying the biggest problem are still the NFF guys…

In fact did you know that  the NFF has not been serious for years. No proper planning, no stable coaching structure, friendly games are not well organized, and players are not motivated the way they should be things as such should be planned for…when a whole federation is not doing well or there jobs it affects the teams big time and this is the problem the super Eagles are currently facing, you said something about to who is given much is expected of him let talk about the supporting system of the government, it is such a shame to see players in terms of lacking support and structure…