Seasoned journalist Charles Ojugbana has indicated that the former head coach of the Super Eagles, Finidi George, chose to step down from his role due to concerns about potential blame if the team fails to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Ojugbana delved into the current controversies enveloping the Super Eagles, focusing particularly on Finidi's resignation and the recent social media outburst from football star Victor Osimhen during a live stream on Instagram.
Ojugbana also shared his insights on potential remedies to restore the Super Eagles to their former glory. He emphasized the need to revisit fundamental principles, highlighting various aspects that require attention. "We must return to basics; there are multiple facets to consider. Look at the Super Eagles during the Nations Cup in Cote d'Ivoire - every match featured a different lineup of players. Similarly, in recent World Cup appearances, there has been inconsistency in player selection," Ojugbana remarked.
He continued, critiquing the current approach to team selection: "Coming to the Super Eagles has become an all-commerce affair. Oh, he's playing in Malta, he scored 30 goals, invite him. Oh, this one is in Ukraine, invite him. What about the home-based team? We should have a nucleus. I'm not against foreign-based players, but the team should be built around a nucleus so that when you invite the foreign-based players, they are also even afraid of perhaps not even getting a shirt. Then the rivalry becomes good enough. That's why I said we must go back to the basics. So you do that with the teams, you do that with the coaching system, you do that with the general administration."
Comments