5 things Nigeria must do to win AFCON 2025

Nigerians are angry, distraught and dismayed that the Super Eagles will miss the 2026 World Cup following the playoff defeat to DR Congo. Supporters of the national team have been expressing their anger and frustration in vitriolic rants. 

Where two or more Nigerian football fans have gathered — on the internet-powered social media, when Cloudflare and its competitors are not broken; encircled around newspaper stands on sunny afternoons; or huddled under a shed to avoid the downpour of a rainy season that has encroached on Harmattan’s time — gnashing of teeth ensues, and expletives are directed at the team, the coaching staff, and administrators. 

The triumvirate is in luck, however, as Nigerians are a forgiving bunch. They only ask for one thing in return for absolution: that the Super Eagles are crowned champions in Morocco next January. 

The ask might seem excessive, especially when demanded of a team that complicated AFCON qualification and fumbled multiple opportunities to make the World Cup. However, the Super Eagles are blessed with an abundance of talent and only need to make all or some of the following tweaks and/or improvements to achieve success. 

It is rather interesting how the concept of “what will people say” fails to permeate from individual Nigerian homes to our respective institutions. For a society where shame is a tool used in policing the young, our elders — in this case the Ibrahim Gusau-led NFF — seem to have no qualms bringing our national team into disrepute. 

When the dominant story ahead of an all-important playoff semi-final is a standoff between the Super Eagles and the NFF over unpaid bonuses, one is left to wonder how frustrated the players must have been to take a stand with their careers on the line. 

There are reports that NFF’s debt owed to the players stretches back to 2019; others date the arrears to the recent World Cup qualifiers. The timing is a non-factor, as they should never have been owed. 

In high-pressure spaces like sport, a 5% variance in concentration, morale, and effort can be the difference between a future in which Nike sells out Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup jerseys within hours and Super Eagles stars taking a long vacation next summer. 

The camp bonuses and match-day allowance situation have to be sorted out before and during the AFCON. The NFF has to be tired of the bad press, surely?

If it were possible to make this list without singling out an individual player, surely that would be a preferable route. However, when the need for an upgrade is glaringly obvious and the aversion to change directly costs the team, it becomes pertinent to highlight the issue. 

In his heyday, Wilfred Ndidi was a reliable stalwart. However, he is past his best and no longer provides the same defensive cover as yesteryear. Additionally, he lacks the ability to advance play through passing, nor is his ball carrying up to scratch as a substitute skill. 

This means that the Super Eagles regularly struggle to control games or sustain waves of possession. This was particularly evident in recent matches against South Africa and DR Congo.

Ndidi is a good footballer and would otherwise be passable if Raphael Onyedika did not exist. The Club Brugge man has excelled playing in Belgium in recent years; days before the playoffs, in which he failed to register a single minute, he received a standing ovation from the Jan Breydel stadium for his performance in the Champions League against Barcelona. 

Eric Chelle did not waste time determining that Benjamin Fredrick was ready to depose Captain Troost Ekong. He must be bold and drop Ndidi for Onyedika. Nigeria's AFCON chances hang in the balance. 

Much has been made about Eric Chelle's reviving the Super Eagles' World Cup ambition after the chance seemed to have passed. His relative success in that regard appears to have shielded him from criticism, especially for his head-scratching selection decisions. 

Ademola Lookman is neither a winger nor an attacking midfielder; he is a second striker. Chelle's system allows for a second striker, and for some weird reason, he does not deploy the Atalanta man in said position. 

Samuel Chukwueze is not a centre midfielder. Frank Onyeka lacks the individuality to be deployed at right midfield in a diamond formation, which leaves him isolated. 

Chelle’s faulty decision-making is also evident in his tactics: starting two strikers of similar profiles, especially when they do not make varying runs, and seeking to dominate possession with a midfield base of Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi.

His choices can be strange, and given that his tactical acumen has been reliably lauded, the reasonable deduction is that he is not the most familiar with the profiles of the players at his disposal. Mr Chelle, study up.  December 21st is nigh.  

The legendary Sunday Oliseh floated the idea of restricting social media usage in the Super Eagles camp weeks ago, and this writer was on the other side of the divide, thinking the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder’s proposal antiquated. 

However, having witnessed how Alex Iwobi's post — in which he appeared to scoff at the surroundings of the hotel they were lodged in Morocco for the playoffs — stirred a storm, it is safe to say the former Super Eagles captain knows more football than me.

While they are professionals and capable of heightened focus, a player a few days away from one of the most important fixtures in his career should not be worrying about how a clip he uploaded was perceived by the public. Certainly, the players are not kids and cannot be ‘grounded’; however, some restrictions should be put in place during the AFCON.

With Stanley Nwabali, it seems the Super Eagles are sitting on a keg of gunpowder. Recently, he has looked shaky, overconfident and leaky. 

In a tournament setting, especially when the knockout stage comes along, his limitations and excesses might prove costly. It is the ideal time to reintegrate Maduka Okoye, and if we must advance with Nwabali, the federation should mandate counselling.