Former Super Eagles’ striker, Victor Nosa Ikpeba has taken another look at the Nigerian national team’s ongoing struggles in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and opined that the startling conclusion is that the players are finding it hard to play against African opponents.
Sports247 reports that, while the 1997 African Footballer of The Year conceded that the Eagles’ players have not put in enough effort to win crucial matches in recent months, he further pointed out that a lot of extraneous factors must also be taken into consideration.
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The former hitman at AS Monaco of France and Borussia Dortmund of Germany added, “Being a former player, we try to be constructive, and we have to be supportive. We don’t really know what is happening in the camp.”
The ex-international striker, who was fondly called ‘Prince of Monaco’ during his playing days, and is now a football analyst on cable television, also charged Super Eagles’ coach, Eric Chelle to find ways of getting the best from his players and spur them to play beyond their limitations.
He pointed out, “That’s something the manager should know about. It’s disappointing because there’s a lot of expectation on the team.
“You have this array of raw talent, wonderful players who we see playing in Europe. This shows the difficulties they face in coming back home to play in Africa.
“In spite of that, we still have to question the mentality of these players. During my era, we knew what it took to come and play back here in Africa.”
He concluded by calling for improved attitude and better effort from all players in the Eagles, with a view that determination would help them overcome the challenges of playing in Africa when on duty with the national team.
Ikpeba averred: “When our boys start charging themselves while playing for the national team of Nigeria, the results would be better … because talent is not enough to win games in Africa.
“That’s what we saw of Egypt at the last Nations Cup, as well as Morocco, who struggled, though they earlier got to the semi-finals of the global competition. That shows the difficulty of playing in Africa.
