Super Eagles of Nigeria: So Much Quality, Great Suspense!

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Nigerian Super Eagles Qualifies for 2023 CAF African Nations Cup On the 13th October, the draws for the 2023-24 African Nations Cup was released by the Confederation for African Football, CAF. Nigeria was drawn in group A, comprising hosts, Ivory Coast, Guinea Bissau, and Equatorial Guinea. Opinions differ on our chances for qualification, but using past, current records and team quality, Nigeria ranks above all these teams. The Nigerian Super Eagles has won the African Nations Cup thrice, 1980, 1994 and 2013. Her performance thereafter has been lackluster; they failed to qualify for the next two editions, for reasons far removed from the availability of quality players. What Hope for Nigerian Super Eagles? Fast forward to 2023, and Nigeria is again set to compete with other African Nations for the highest football competition in Africa. It is a very important competition for every participating nation and it is expected that football clubs across the world with African players would have to contend with losing these players (for nations that qualified) for the January tournament. Fans and supporters of the Super Eagles would as usual remain in palpable suspense, despite the huge talent and quality of players available to the team. On current form, Nigeria, boasts of a very formidable team, good enough to overwhelm any other African team, but alas, the Super Eagles, disappoint, when more is expected from them. Some contrary opinions would want to posit about the passionate sentiments of Nigerians to complain whenever the Super Eagle stumble, but this is far from the truth! For ages, no knowledgeable Nigerian football fan can articulate our football style or philosophy because no Super Eagles coach have for over a decade, been able to impose a definite style, whether ultra attack or defence minded or even the kick-and-follow! We thrive on the individual brilliance and/or collective brilliance of a minority few!

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Even during the Super Eagles period of her highest apogee, their downfall has always been traced the off-the field issues, such as bickering over allowances and jaundiced team selections. For a team comprising Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, Sunday Awoniyi, Samuel Chukwueze, Gift Orban, Kelechi Ihenacho, Wilfred Ndidi, Ola Aina et al, why should a Nigerian worry about its good performance? That question remains the crux of confusion that bedevils the Super Eagles! During the CAF ANC 2021, in Cameroun, she started well, beating defending champions, Egypt,1-0, beat Ethiopia and Guinea Bissau, 3-1 and 2-0 respectively at the group stage, then surprisingly lost 1-0 to Tunisia, in a lack luster match, wherein fans only saw the ‘shadows’ of the players, rather than their real quality. On the 23rd March 2023, playing against lowly rated Guinea Bissau, in Abuja-Nigeria, during the African Nations qualification match, she lost 1-0. Despite taking revenge by the same margin four days after in Bissau, the embarrassment had already been done to the fans. The nation suffered the same pain, when after getting a scoreless draw against Ghana in the last match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, the Super Eagles crumbled to a 1-1 draw to lose qualification to the 2022 World Cup. Her recent results in international friendly matches remain appalling!

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The Super Eagles has got enough experienced players at the moment, to help steer a positive direction for glory and register their names in Nigerian folklore history. That remains the easiest opportunity for an assured performance for them as we expect the Super Eagles to brighten Nigerians morale from our bated silence in our current societal ignominy!