Nigerian football lost before it even took the field

Nigerian football is in turmoil ahead of the 2026 World Cup play-offs.

Nigeria is not just in a money crisis. They are in a crisis of undervaluing their players and poor management that has dragged a promising footballing nation into chaos. The strike in Rabat was just the last straw.

Two days before the 2026 World Cup play-off against Gabon, the entire Nigerian team refused to train. The reasons were nothing new: unpaid bonuses, unpaid allowances, and even debts of trust. Some of the debts were from 2019, even before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar began. And in 2025, people still heard the same story: Nigerian players were not paid.

The picture was ironic. A team that had produced Jay-Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Finidi George, icons of African pride, was now sitting in a hotel waiting for money. No one wanted to work in a place where they were looked down upon. They were not public servants, nor were they greedy. They just wanted to be paid what they deserved.

Victor Osimhen returned to the training camp to help his teammates regain their composure, but the team’s biggest player could not mend the broken trust. He could inject energy, but he could not change the fact that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had lost the respect of the people they managed.

Alex Iwobi, who usually stays away from controversy, became the center of attention when he posted a short video from the hotel. A simple view was interpreted as a complaint. And it reflected the collective fatigue. When trust is lost, every action is scrutinized.

Victor Osimhen returned to training camp to help his teammates stabilize their spirits, but the team's biggest player could not mend the broken trust.

It is hard to believe that Nigeria, the former African champion and the pride of the continent, is preparing to enter the decisive match of the 2026 World Cup without having practiced a single session. No tactic can save a team when the hearts of the people are broken.

This is not just a financial issue, but a structural illness of Nigerian football. A football country with abundant talent, but constantly stifled by corruption, lack of transparency, and bureaucratic thinking. Players like Osimhen and Chukwueze carry the image of the country to the world , but when they return home, they have to fight for the most basic things.

What hurts more is that this happens over and over again like a vicious cycle. After each crisis, the NFF promises to “resolve it soon”. But nothing changes. This time, they may pay to appease public opinion. Then a few months later, another bonus arrears scandal will appear.

A footballing nation is only strong when it respects its players. Nigeria is forgetting that. They talk about national spirit, but they do not understand that spirit cannot exist when trust has been betrayed too many times.

The Osimhen generation is faced with two choices: to continue fighting for the flag, or to give up in disappointment. And sadly, many of them have chosen silence, the silence not of cowards, but of those who have given up.

Before the match against Gabon, people talked about formations, form, and World Cup 2026 chances. But in fact, what Nigeria needs most is not on the pitch. They need a fundamental change in football management, where players are not seen as tools, where trust is paid on time like bonuses.

Otherwise, the "Super Eagles" may still be on the field, but they will be a shadow of themselves. And even if they beat Gabon, they will still lose, because they have let a footballing nation that once flew high fall to the ground because of the irresponsibility of those in the highest seats.

Source: https://znews.vn/bong-da-nigeria-tu-thua-truoc-khi-ra-san-post1602370.html