Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, Hon. Adeyinka Adeboye, has thrown his full support behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s call for a total rebuild of Nigerian football following the Super Eagles’ heartbreaking World Cup playoff loss to DR Congo on Sunday night.
Speaking hours after the President issued a statement urging the team to regroup and begin immediate preparation for the next Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2025), Adeboye said the President’s reaction shows clearly that Nigeria has a leader who genuinely loves sports and is fully committed to restoring national pride.
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“You can see from the President’s message that he is a true lover of sports. This is not a time to point fingers. It is a time to take ourselves seriously,” Adeboye said.
“We must give credit to the Super Eagles for their effort, but we cannot continue leaving things too late. The work to reclaim our glory must start now.”
Adeboye, who has been with the team throughout the playoff build-up in Morocco, described the defeat as painful but insisted that Nigerian football is rich with talent and potential—if properly harnessed.
“We have players across the world, excellent talents everywhere. But talent alone will not work. We need structure, early preparation, discipline, scouting, and a development system that produces consistency,” he stressed.
The SSA echoed President Tinubu’s charge for administrators, coaches, and stakeholders to return to the drawing board and rebuild the national team with AFCON 2025 as the next priority.
President Tinubu had earlier urged the team to put the defeat behind them and shift focus entirely to the continental championship scheduled for December 2025 to January 2026 in Morocco, noting that the nation still expects the Super Eagles to reclaim their dominance.
Adeboye agreed fully, saying:
“AFCON is around the corner. We cannot waste time mourning. It is time to plan, to act, and to show the world that Nigeria still has the fire. The President has shown leadership—now the rest of us must match that energy.”
He called on Nigerians not to lose faith in the Super Eagles, assuring that with proper planning and discipline, Nigeria will rise stronger.
“Our football has suffered enough from last-minute decisions. Going forward, early preparation must become our culture. This is the only way to restore the glory of Nigerian football.”
Adeboye concluded by saying that the journey to AFCON 2025 begins today, not tomorrow.
