Former Super Eagles captain Mutiu Adepoju has urged Nigeria’s players and coaches to completely shut out the administrative crisis surrounding the country’s football and concentrate on securing qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
With the Super Eagles preparing to begin another crucial qualifying campaign, Adepoju believes uncertainty away from the pitch must not be allowed to become an excuse for failure on it.
Nigeria’s football administration is currently undergoing a period of major uncertainty, with FIFA and CAF assessing the legal, governance, administrative and electoral implications of recent developments within the Nigeria Football Federation.
The joint assessment followed the resignation of NFF president Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and other Executive Committee members, while the federation’s electoral process has also been put on hold pending further assessment.
Adepoju, however, insists the Super Eagles cannot afford to become consumed by developments they did not create and cannot control.
According to the former Real Sociedad midfielder, the players and technical crew are not responsible for the administrative situation and should therefore remain focused on their primary responsibility — delivering results for Nigeria.
For Adepoju, the responsibility of those handling the country’s football during the period of uncertainty is to find solutions to the administrative problems while ensuring that the national team receives everything necessary to compete successfully.
The warning comes at a particularly important time.
Nigeria have been drawn in Group L alongside Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and Tanzania in the 2027 AFCON qualifying series.
Unlike most qualifying groups, however, the equation in Group L is tighter because Tanzania are one of the three co-hosts of AFCON 2027 and are already guaranteed a place at the finals.
CAF’s qualification rules state that in groups containing a co-host, the highest-placed team apart from the automatically qualified host will advance to the tournament.
That effectively leaves Nigeria, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau fighting for the available qualification ticket from the group, regardless of Tanzania’s final position.
The Super Eagles are scheduled to begin their campaign at home against Madagascar before travelling to face Guinea-Bissau in their second fixture.
Adepoju’s intervention also carries added weight because he has been directly involved in recent discussions surrounding the problems facing Nigerian football.
The former international was appointed to the NFF’s fact-finding committee established in August to examine the country’s recent setbacks in international football. The committee also included former NFF General Secretary Fanny Amun, Ladan Bosso, Desire Oparanozie and former FIFA referee Alex Mana.
Adepoju subsequently argued that the findings of that committee should form part of the wider reform process, saying issues identified during its work remain relevant to efforts to rebuild Nigerian football.
But while administrators debate the future structure of the game, Adepoju does not want those discussions following the Super Eagles onto the pitch.
With the unusual Group L qualification format leaving little margin for error, Nigeria’s opening matches could immediately shape their route to the continental finals.
Adepoju’s position is therefore simple: solve the crisis in the boardroom, give the Super Eagles what they need, and allow the players and coaches to concentrate on winning football matches.
