Former Super Eagles assistant coach, Sylvanus “Quick Silver” Okpala, has challenged African nations to change their mentality from simply participating in World Cups to truly believing they can win it.
Speaking in a recent interview, the 1980 AFCON winner reflected on how far African football has come but lamented that mental barriers continue to hold teams back on the global stage.
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Okpala said African sides now possess the talent, strength, and tactical awareness to compete with the best, but what’s missing is the winning mindset.
“When you look at football today, African players are everywhere — they play for top clubs in England, Spain, Italy, and Germany,” he said.
“We’ve reached a point where we can no longer say we’re learning. We should be competing to win. But we must first believe it is possible.”
Okpala recalled the golden generation of Nigeria’s 1994 World Cup squad, which he was part of as a coach, saying that team had the quality to reach the semifinals — and perhaps win — but lacked belief and experience.
“That team had the players to go all the way, but mentally, we didn’t yet see ourselves as equals to the big teams,” he admitted.
He emphasized that football is not magic but planning and conviction. “The difference between Brazil, France, and Nigeria is not ability — it’s mentality and structure. We must fix both,” Okpala said. “We can’t keep going to the World Cup just to participate. We have to go there to compete to win.”
He urged the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and national federations to prioritize better coaching education, tactical development, and sports psychology.
“We must raise the bar,” Okpala concluded. “If Morocco can reach the semifinals, why not Nigeria or Senegal next? The time for African teams to start dreaming — and believing — big is now.”
