Former Nigeria international Festus Odini has described Nigeria’s absence from the ongoing FIFA World Cup as a painful and embarrassing situation for a nation with such a rich football history.
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Speaking on the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the tournament being hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, Odini did not hide his disappointment.
“It is shameful that Nigeria is not at the World Cup,” Odini said.
According to the former international, responsibility for the failure should be shared by everyone involved throughout the qualification campaign.
“Everyone involved must accept responsibility,” he implied.
Odini stressed that Nigeria possesses too much football talent and pedigree to be absent from consecutive World Cups.
“A country like Nigeria should always be competing on the biggest stage,” he noted.
The former Super Eagles star lamented that mistakes made during the qualifiers ultimately denied millions of Nigerians the opportunity to see their national team compete at the tournament.
“We did not do enough when it mattered most,” he added.
Nigeria’s failure to qualify has continued to generate strong reactions from former players, administrators and supporters.
“Many still struggle to understand how Nigeria missed back-to-back World Cups,” football observers believe.
The Super Eagles are currently rebuilding under coach Eric Chelle as attention gradually shifts towards future competitions.
“The expectation is that lessons must be learned from the disappointment,” supporters continue to say.
For Festus Odini, the message is clear.
Nigeria should be at the World Cup.
The failure remains difficult to accept.
And everyone involved must learn from the mistakes of the qualification campaign.
Because a football nation of Nigeria’s stature is expected to compete among the world’s best.
