Nigerians fear World Cup heartbreak again after Super Eagles boycotted training before Gabon playoff

A profound sense of dread has settled over Nigerian football fans, with many expressing resignation that the Super Eagles may miss the World Cup, as history appears to be repeating itself just hours before the crucial playoff against Gabon.

The fear is rooted in the team’s training boycott in Rabat this week, a drastic step taken by the William Troost-Ekong-led squad over unpaid bonuses, which has historically preceded disappointing results for the national team.

The immediate protest, staged just over 24 hours before the decisive clash, has prompted fans to recall past heartbreaks following similar off-field distractions.

One fan captured the national mood of resignation, stating:

Pulse Sports Nigeria checks into the national team’s history of pre-match disruptions reveal a devastating pattern: the Super Eagles have protested financial issues no fewer than five times in major camps.

In that run, they only went on to win the subsequent fixture once, a 1-0 victory over Guinea at the 2019 AFCON. Fan comments paint the most painful losses tied to protests.

“The protest in #France '98 was before the game against #Denmark. No prizes for guessing how that match ended…” (Nigeria lost 1-4 in the Round of 16).

“Do you also remember the Brazil 2014 FIFA WC when Nigerian players boycotted a training session before their R16 game against France and went on to lose the game?” (Nigeria lost 0-2 to France).

The trend has fostered a pervasive fear among supporters as the Super Eagles prepare to face a dangerous Gabon side, led by the in-form 36-year-old Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The anxious sentiment was clear in social media threads, with one fan lamenting the psychological damage:

“It's frightening the kind of comments I read on here. Truly scary. So many have been defeated with their backs against the wall indeed.”

This latest dispute comes despite recent public warnings from Super Eagles legend John Mikel Obi, who had forcefully urged the current players to keep their focus narrow.

Mikel, while blasting the NFF’s corruption, stated that "now is not the best time to discuss those," demanding the NFF resolve the issues instantly to prevent distractions and create a "comfortable condition" for the players to perform.

Despite this strong advice to prioritise the match over the money, the players’ action confirms that the long-standing financial issues were too critical to ignore, placing Nigeria's 2026 World Cup hopes directly in the path of historical precedent.