Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, has expressed confidence that Nigeria’s Super Eagles will avoid a repeat of their World Cup qualifying disappointment, insisting that the national team have learnt valuable lessons as they battle to secure a place at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, Sports247.ng reports.
Dikko believes the circumstances surrounding Nigeria’s AFCON qualification campaign are significantly different from those that undermined the country’s previous World Cup ambitions.
Speaking about the Super Eagles’ prospects, the NSC chairman recalled Nigeria’s difficult start to the World Cup qualifiers, when the team collected only three points from their opening four matches.
“The World Cup is a different ball game. The first four games, three points out of twelve,” Dikko explained.
He contrasted that disappointing return with Nigeria’s improved start to the AFCON qualifying campaign, arguing that the team have already placed themselves in a stronger position.
“This is the first two games, fifty percent of the points are in the bag. So it’s a different ball game,” he stated.
The sports administrator acknowledged that Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying problems provided important lessons, particularly concerning technical stability and the frequent changes made to the national team’s coaching structure.
“I’m sure the players learnt from that lesson, and they are going to recover, definitely,” he declared.
Reflecting on the previous campaign, Dikko noted that Nigeria had experienced several coaching changes, which complicated efforts to establish consistency.
“The 2022 World Cup, it’s not just about the players. It’s about the changing of the coaching crew,” he explained.
He referenced the involvement of José Peseiro, Austin Eguavoen, Finidi George and Eric Chelle during different stages of Nigeria’s recent coaching history.
“Three, four coaches did it,” he observed.
Despite those challenges, Dikko maintained that the present qualification campaign offers Nigeria an opportunity to demonstrate that the mistakes of the past have been addressed.
For the NSC chairman, the priority is ensuring the Super Eagles maintain focus, build consistency and avoid surrendering valuable points during the qualification race.
Dikko’s message is one of renewed belief: Nigeria’s World Cup disappointment should serve as a lesson rather than a burden, with the Super Eagles now expected to respond positively and secure their place at the next Africa Cup of Nations.
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