Former Tremendous Eagles midfielder Friday Ekpo has delivered a blunt evaluation of Nigeria’s World Cup collapse, insisting that Sunday’s defeat to DR Congo was not an accident, however the inevitable results of years of poor planning, complacency and misplaced entitlement.
Ekpo, talking with the readability of a person who has seen Nigerian soccer rise and fall, stated the warning indicators had been current lengthy earlier than the penalty shootout drama in Rabat.
In line with him, Nigeria entered the 2026 qualifiers with the assumption that pedigree alone would assure progress — a mentality he says was evident proper from the opening fixture in opposition to Cape Verde, the place the Eagles wasted probabilities and performed “as if qualification was their birthright.”
The previous midfielder emphasised that DR Congo weren’t fortunate; they had been merely higher ready. He famous that the Leopards, who share a wealthy footballing historical past with Nigeria courting again to the Sixties, had proven starvation, tactical self-discipline and unity all through the playoffs. From Meshack Elia’s cool equaliser to the arrogance proven within the shootout, Ekpo stated Congo performed like a group that had rehearsed each potential situation.
Ekpo additionally pointed to Nigeria’s inner turmoil — from late squad bulletins to pre-match bonus disputes and tactical inconsistency — as proof of a system in chaos. Though Eric Chelle had managed to regular the group with improved performances in March, June and October, he argued that no coach can succeed when surrounded by administrative dysfunction.
“DR Congo didn’t beat us on Sunday,” Ekpo stated. “They beat us months in the past — once we failed to arrange correctly.”
Whereas recognising the standard of gamers like Osimhen, Lookman and Nwabali, Ekpo insisted expertise alone isn’t sufficient to win at elite degree. He referred to as for pressing structural reform, warning that till Nigeria fixes its planning, mentality and organisation, heartbreaks like Rabat will maintain repeating themselves.
