Odemwingie hits out at NFF for singling out Super Eagles players

Former Nigeria forward Peter Osaze Odemwingie has attacked the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) for singling out Super Eagles’ players in their recent 2026 World Cup qualifier, calling their actions “unprofessional” and “a sign that the wrong people are working” in the organization.

After Nigeria drew 1-1 at South Africa in Bloemfontein, it leaves their qualification hopes hanging by a thread as the three-time African champions needed two wins from the two fixtures in September to keep their hopes alive to qualify for the World Cup.

Controversy continues to surround Super Eagles

Following the match, the NFF released an extraordinary post-match report that openly blamed captain William Troost-Ekong and striker Cyriel Dessers for the team’s disappointing result.

While speaking on Brila FM’s breakfast show ‘No Holds Barred with Ifeanyi Udeze’, the forward said that the action shows lack of qualification in the federation.

“It is a sign that wrong people are working in our federation, it’s very unprofessional. These are people that work in certain positions without the required qualification. They are just like fans — you can give that job to ordinary fans and he will probably do a job as good as that person has done.”

The forward, who featured at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, added that Nigeria can still make it to the 2026 World Cup finals as it’s not time to pick out players to blame.

“You know Nigerians, we have what it takes to get to the World Cup final, not the AFCON only. If we are to step up higher, everything must be ready for that step forward — but we are still talking about things like this.”

“It’s a shame because we look childish and this isn’t the time to pick on any player. You know the players have a legacy, it’s not time to start looking for a scapegoat. The reason why we are like this is way bigger than the performance of one or two players.”

However, NFF General Secretary Dr. Mohammed Sanusi has disassociated the body from the controversial press release that blamed two Super Eagles players.