Former Super Eagles’ striker, Julius Efosa Aghahowa has added his voice to reactions trailing the expected deduction of three points from South Africa’s current haul in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and faulted the long delay of an announcement by global football governing body, FIFA.
Sports247 reports that Aghahowa is of a view that FIFA’s failure to make an early pronouncement on the crucial matter has virtually rendered the outcome irrelevant, as a deduction may eventually not have its desired effect on the alleged culprits.
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The former Bendel Insurance of Benin City, Shaktar Donetsk of Ukraine and Wigan Athletic of England fleet-footed attacker reasoned further that the shape of the group could have been different had FIFA made their decision known before Nigeria played away to South Africa earlier this month.
‘Agha-Wonder,’ as he was fondly called during his playing days, retorted: “FIFA have their own way of doing things but, normally in a situation like this, the countries are supposed to know their fate well ahead of time.
“They need to know whether they still have a chance to qualify or not. But, as it has come to be, it’s now very difficult to know how to go into battle with the team that may have three of their points deducted.”
The former police officer who got a well-struck goal for Nigeria at the 2002 World Cup co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, after which his remarkable cartwheel celebration became an iconic image that was relayed on television for several years, stressed that an early announcement by FIFA would have made the group’s lone ticket tougher to get.
Aghahowa added, “Now there are indications that the three points deduction may not even have any effect. It would have been better if they had taken it out before our clash with South Africa. We would have known whether we still had a chance to get something.
“We don’t know why they are delaying. I cannot speak for them, but it would have been better if the points had been taken out since,” Aghahowa reiterated.
