Former Nigeria international Garba Lawal has dismissed hopes that the Super Eagles could still reach the World Cup through administrative action, urging the country to accept failure and fully focus on winning the Africa Cup of Nations.
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Reacting to Nigeria’s petition against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over the alleged fielding of an ineligible player during the World Cup playoffs, Lawal said the move offers little hope and only distracts from the real issues.
“Nigeria had a clean chance to qualify for the World Cup and failed. We were favourites in the group and still didn’t make it,” Lawal said.
The former Super Eagles winger stressed that qualification should always be decided on the pitch, not through petitions.
“When you don’t take your chances on the field, you cannot start looking for loopholes in other countries’ success,” he added.
Lawal warned that relying on legal appeals instead of performance sends the wrong message to players and fans.
“Football doesn’t work that way. Other countries qualified because they did the job when it mattered,” he said.
He argued that Nigeria’s focus should now be on rebuilding confidence and redirecting energy toward the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, rather than chasing uncertain outcomes off the pitch.
“AFCON is the opportunity Nigeria has now. All attention should be on preparing well and winning the tournament,” Lawal stated.
The former international believes AFCON success could help restore belief in the national team after recent disappointments.
“Winning AFCON won’t erase the World Cup failure, but it will show progress and seriousness,” he noted.
Lawal also called on the players to take responsibility for missed opportunities during the qualifiers.
“We must be honest. The players had enough games to qualify. It didn’t happen,” he said.
He urged Nigerian football authorities and supporters to move forward with realism and accountability.
“Accept what happened, learn from it, and move on. That’s the only way forward,” Lawal concluded.
As the Super Eagles prepare for AFCON in Morocco, Lawal’s message is blunt and clear — qualification was lost on the pitch, and redemption must also come on the pitch.
