Former Nigerian international, Sylvanus Okpala, has underscored the immense importance of the Super Eagles qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup under newly appointed head coach, Eric Sekou Chelle.
Chelle, who was unveiled on Monday at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, has already faced questions about his ability to lead the Super Eagles out of their current slump.
The Super Eagles have struggled in their World Cup qualifying campaign, failing to record a single win in four matches. They currently sit in fifth place in Group C, with just three points.
Speaking on Brila.net, Okpala warned that failure to secure a World Cup ticket would be catastrophic for Nigerian football, emphasizing that Chelle must bear the full responsibility for the team’s success.
“The point is that if we don’t qualify for the World Cup, we have failed,” Okpala stated.
The former midfielder acknowledged that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has the right to appoint whoever they deem fit but insisted that the coach’s primary objective must be to lead the Super Eagles to the World Cup.
“NFF has every right if that’s the coach they want, but he has to qualify us for the World Cup. If he doesn’t do that, he has failed,” he added.
Okpala also dismissed any notion of blaming the team’s poor start on Chelle’s late appointment, arguing that six matches remain, providing ample opportunity to turn things around.
“Nigeria cannot afford not to go to the World Cup for the second time. It will be very disastrous for Nigerian football. It’s becoming difficult, but it is not impossible, there is still room with six games left,” he noted.
“So later, they shouldn’t come with the excuse that things had already gone wrong before his appointment because they would have waited until after the qualifiers to appoint him.”
The Super Eagles resume their qualifying campaign in March with a trip to Rwanda on March 17, followed by a crucial home game against Zimbabwe in Uyo on March 24.
All eyes will be on Chelle to see if he can steer Nigeria back to football’s grandest stage.
