Former Super Eagles defender Ben Iroha has voiced deep frustration over Nigeria’s recent failures on multiple football fronts, urging the country to look inward and fix what he calls a terrible decline.
Iroha, speaking exclusively with Completesports.com, painted a grim picture of Nigerian football’s current state. His remarks came after the Flying Eagles failed to qualify for the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, which also means missing the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and the Super Falcons fell short of booking a spot at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
“As if that was not enough heartbreak, the Super Falcons lost the opportunity to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup to be held in Brazil,” Iroha lamented. “Apart from the defeat to Malawi in the quarter-final, the Super Falcons failed again to beat South Africa in a World Cup play-off that could have given us a glimmer of hope of going to the Women’s World Cup.”
The 1994 AFCON winner also expressed disbelief at the Flying Eagles’ performance. “The Flying Eagles’ case was also pathetic. How could they have lost twice to Burkina Faso at such a crucial stage and by such embarrassing scorelines?” he asked.
Iroha extended his lament to the senior men’s team, noting that the Super Eagles missed the 2026 World Cup despite having a play-off chance. “I can’t believe this, frankly speaking. It’s heartbreaking. The Super Eagles didn’t go to the 2026 World Cup even when they had the play-off opportunity to do so. Now, the Super Falcons aren’t going to the World Cup even when the play-off presented a last-minute opportunity,” he said.
He highlighted how Nigerian fans have been forced to watch major tournaments from home. “Nigerians painfully watched the 2026 World Cup on television. We’re going to watch the Women’s World Cup, U-20 World Cup and even the U-17 World Cup from the comfort of our living rooms. I can’t believe this is happening to Nigeria, despite our huge talents,” Iroha bitterly lamented.
Iroha, who was an assistant coach with the Golden Eaglets when they won the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup, called for a serious internal review. “We need to sit down and find out what has gone wrong; where we’ve got it wrong; what we’ve not done that we should do. This is the first step. This trend can’t continue,” he concluded.
Iroha’s stark warning underscores a growing concern within Nigerian football as the nation faces the reality of watching yet another World Cup cycle from the sidelines. His plea for introspection is a call to action for administrators and stakeholders to reverse the slide.
