Former Super Eagles defender Godwin Okpara believes African football has reached another significant milestone after the continent’s impressive showing at the ongoing FIFA World Cup, insisting the days of heavy defeats and underwhelming performances are becoming a thing of the past.
The former Benfica defender said Africa’s representatives have demonstrated courage, quality and tactical discipline throughout the tournament, even though a few nations failed to progress beyond the knockout stages.
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According to Okpara, the performances of African teams have justified the confidence FIFA placed in the continent by expanding its World Cup allocation from five to ten places under the new tournament format.
“African teams have shown they can compete with anyone. The performances we’ve seen at this World Cup prove that the gap is getting smaller,” Okpara said.
Nine of Africa’s ten representatives progressed beyond the group stage, underlining what many observers have described as the continent’s strongest collective performance at a FIFA World Cup.
Okpara noted that unlike previous editions, where several African teams suffered heavy defeats, this year’s representatives have consistently matched some of the world’s football powerhouses.
“This is a major improvement. We’ve moved away from the days when African teams were easily beaten. Today, they play with confidence and compete until the final whistle,” he added.
The former Super Eagles defender believes the progress is the result of improved coaching, better player development and the growing number of African footballers competing in Europe’s elite leagues.
He expressed confidence that if the continent continues investing in grassroots football and technical development, an African nation could soon challenge seriously for the FIFA World Cup title.
