'Not Good Enough': Super Eagles Squad Slammed by Nigeria’s Sports Minister Over Quality

'Not Good Enough': Super Eagles Squad Slammed by Nigeria’s Sports Minister Over Quality

Edwin Kiplagat
updated at July 1, 2024 at 6:51 AM
In this article:
Nigeria logo
Nigeria
Nigeria
21
  • Nigeria's sports minister, John Enoh, is concerned about the quality of players in the Nigerian national football team
  • The Super Eagles are in some kind of crisis after failing to secure victories in their latest 2026 FIFA World Cup matches
  • African Footballer of the Year, Victor Osimhen, recently slammed his coach, Finidi George, who reportedly stepped down

PAY ATTENTION: Checkout Fixtures; Live Scores; Results and Tables section on Sports Brief and never miss out on the action ⚽️

Nigeria's sports minister, John Enoh, is not convinced with the quality of the Super Eagles players.

Enoh's comments come after African Footballer of the Year, Victor Osimhen, verbally attacked Finidi George, who reportedly resigned as Super Eagles coach.

The West African giants are still coming to terms with poor performances in the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches earlier this month.

Nigeria, Victor Osimhen, Finidi George, John Enoh, AFCON, Jose Peseiro, World Cup
The Super Eagles are ranked fifth in Africa in the latest FIFA rankings but Nigeria's Sports Minister is not convinced. Photo by Issouf Sanogo.
Source: Getty Images

Finidi George's team were held to a draw by South Africa and then suffered a potentially costly defeat to the Benin Republic days later.

The team was criticised, and some called for Finidi's firing, who reportedly resigned. There has been no official commutation from the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).

Does Nigeria lack quality?

Enoh said that instead of questioning the coach, they have to start examining the quality of the players, per Complete Sports.

"There are some players in the team who are not good enough for the Super Eagles. We talk of the quality of the coach, but what of the quality of the players in the team?"

He also questioned the commitment of diaspora players.

"We have in the Super Eagles about 90 per cent of players not born in Nigeria. Do they have the spirit, the fire of a Nigerian player born in Nigeria?"

Nigeria reached the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year and possesses some of the best players on the continent.

Despite their quality, Nigeria's are at risk of missing a second FIFA World Cup in a row. They have played four matches and have not registered a win so far.

What is Nigeria missing?

Sports Brief earlier reported on former Nigeria coach, Nduka Ugbade, claiming the Super Eagles lack 'intelligence'.

The former under-17 coach said his country lacked a defined style of play and missed the technical ability of Brazil.

Authors
Edwin Kiplagat photo
Edwin Kiplagat
Edwin Kiplagat has five years of experience in journalism working as a Sports Editor at Africa Insight Communications and ESPN. Edwin Kiplagat is a Bachelor's Degree holder in journalism from the Multimedia University of Kenya.