As Nigeria begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying campaign, former international Segun Odegbami, who won the tournament on home soil in 1980, says the country is experiencing the "worst time" in its football history. Over the past 12 months both the Super Eagles and Super Falcons failed to qualify for their respective Fifa World Cups. But beyond the failure of the senior national teams, Nigeria has also endured disappointing results at age-group level and in African club competitions - although the West Africans recently reached the quarter-finals of the Under-20 Women's World Cup.
Odegbami says the diminishing returns represent a "tectonic shift" for one of the continent's traditional powers. "It has never been this bad in our entire history that we didn't qualify for the World Cup," the 74-year-old told BBC Sport Africa. "Our girls (the Super Falcons), who were African champions, failed to win a competition (the 2025 Women's Afcon) that was just there for their taking.
All our junior teams are not doing well. "Our local league is not bringing in money. Something is definitely wrong." The crisis has already triggered major changes within the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Its president Ibrahim Gusau, general secretary Mohammed Sanusi and multiple members of the federation's executive committee resigned last month following mounting criticism. Odegbami says Nigerian football had not been represented by its "first XI administrators" and has called for a restructure to create the conditions for long-term development. "The outcry by Nigerians was total.
Everybody wanted them out, to the extent that the President of the country himself (Bola Tinubu) made the pronouncement that he wanted reforms," he said. "Everything came together like a jigsaw puzzle and is working now for us to produce a blueprint that will cover every aspect of our football development." Nigeria to miss Women's World Cup after South Africa and Ghana win play-offs 'Motherhood should not be the end of anyone's story' A joint delegation from world governing body Fifa and the Confederation of African Football (Caf) has been involved in discussions with the National Sports Commission (NSC) over the future structure of Nigerian football. The parties are working towards a roadmap for comprehensive reforms but NFF elections, scheduled for 27 September, have been suspended.
President Tinubu stated his desire for reform to overcome what he called "repeated failures". Emmanuel Ikpeme has been appointed NFF interim general secretary, with Ademola Olajire the interim deputy general secretary. The changes have prompted renewed debate among stakeholders over whether the country needs a deeper restructuring.
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