Former member of the Nigerian Soccer Federation’s Technical Committee, Austel Elumelu, has issued a stern warning to soccer authorities, insisting that Nigeria’s newest World Cup catastrophe is a direct consequence of the “deep rot” that has been ignored for years.
Reacting to the Tremendous Eagles’ defeat to DR Congo in Sunday’s CAF playoff remaining, Elumelu stated the embarrassment of lacking back-to-back World Cups ought to function a nationwide wake-up name.
Based on him, this failure was not unintended — it was the result of long-term negligence, poor management, and a refusal to handle foundational issues inside Nigerian soccer.
Elumelu lamented that the individuals at the moment making selections on the NFF are sometimes people who lack real soccer competence or long-term imaginative and prescient.
He stated the federation has been repeatedly handed over to directors who prioritise politics over efficiency, and Nigeria is now paying the worth on the world stage.
The previous technical official careworn that till the NFF begins to pick leaders primarily based on competence, soccer intelligence, and a confirmed monitor file, the Tremendous Eagles will proceed to wrestle — no matter how proficient the squad could also be.
He added that the World Cup is the game’s largest platform for nationwide pleasure, international publicity, and participant growth, making Nigeria’s repeated absence much more painful. The truth that smaller nations with restricted sources proceed to qualify whereas Nigeria stagnates, he stated, is a transparent signal that the management construction is basically flawed.
Elumelu referred to as for an instantaneous evaluate of Nigeria’s soccer framework — from youth programs to teaching, planning, and accountability — emphasising that beauty adjustments or short-term options will not work.
He concluded with a blunt message to the federation:
“If we don’t repair who runs our soccer, we are going to hold failing. Nigeria has suffered sufficient embarrassment. The time to behave is now.”
