Sports
Ex-Super Eagles Star Fumes At Nigeria’s Unprecedented Football Failures
Former Nigerian international Ben Iroha has expressed deep frustration over the state of Nigerian football, calling for urgent soul-searching after a series of disappointing results left the country facing an unprecedented run of missed major tournaments.
Iroha’s concerns come after setbacks involving the country’s senior men’s and women’s teams as well as the Flying Eagles, with Nigeria now set to miss several major international competitions.
The former Super Eagles defender believes the situation has gone beyond isolated failures and requires Nigerian football authorities to seriously examine how the country’s teams are being managed and developed.
“It’s Heartbreaking” – Iroha
Speaking about Nigeria’s recent struggles, Iroha admitted that he finds the situation difficult to comprehend given the country’s enormous pool of football talent.
The former international pointed to the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the beginning of what has become a worrying sequence of disappointments.
Nigeria’s men’s team watched the tournament from home, while the Super Falcons subsequently suffered their own historic setback by failing to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Flying Eagles have also been eliminated from the qualification route for the 2027 U-20 AFCON, ending their hopes of reaching the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Iroha said via Complete Sports, “I can’t believe this, frankly speaking. It’s heartbreaking. Nigerians painfully watched the 2026 World Cup on television. We’re going to watch the Women’s World Cup, U-20 World Cup, and even the U-17 World Cup from the comfort of our living rooms.”
Iroha was particularly disappointed by the Super Falcons’ failure to recover after their difficult WAFCON campaign.
Nigeria lost to Cameroon in the quarter-finals, a result that denied them automatic qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
The Falcons were subsequently handed another opportunity through the CAF play-off route but suffered a 2-1 defeat to South Africa.
That result ended Nigeria’s extraordinary record of appearing at every Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 1991.
He added, “As if that was not enough heartbreak, the Super Falcons lost the opportunity to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“Apart from the defeat to Malawi in the quarter-final, the Super Falcons failed again to beat South Africa in a World Cup play-off that could have given us a glimmer of hope.”
Rather than simply blaming coaches or players, Iroha believes Nigerian football needs a comprehensive review of how the game is administered and how national teams are prepared for major competitions
He wants football authorities to examine the decisions that have contributed to the recent failures and identify what needs to change.
He added, “We need to sit down and find out what has gone wrong, where we’ve got it wrong, and what we’ve not done that we should do. This is the first step. This trend can’t continue.”
Real Madrid boss José Mourinho has weighed in on Cristiano Ronaldo’s dramatic retirement from international football.
The 41-year-old Al Nassr striker shocked the footballing world on Thursday by announcing his permanent withdrawal from the Portugal national team, drawing the curtain on a legendary 23-year international career.
Addressing the media fallout during his Friday press conference ahead of Real Madrid’s upcoming LALIGA fixture against Valencia, Mourinho offered a supportive perspective on the situation.
Mourinho, who previously managed Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabéu, insisted that the veteran’s controversial exit should not overshadow his monumental contributions to the country.
“His decision must be respected, and I do respect it,” Mourinho daid
However, the Portuguese tactician also expressed visible regret over the sour circumstances surrounding the departure of his nation’s greatest-ever player.
“The only thing I wish for is that the moment of his retirement as a player will be different from his farewell yesterday,” the Real Madrid boss added.
While Ronaldo’s international days are officially over, Mourinho was incredibly quick to remind reporters that the forward remains a devastating force in domestic football.
“He hasn’t ended his career; those who know him are aware that he still has goals,” Mourinho stated emphatically.
Kelechi Iheanacho was on target as Bursaspor played out a 1-1 draw against Antalyaspor in their TFF 1. Lig encounter on Friday night.
The Nigeria international had previously scored in 12 consecutive league matches for Bursaspor before his remarkable scoring run came to an end against Bandırmaspor last weekend
Iheanacho restored his scoring touch by opening the scoring against Antalyaspor in the 26th minute.
However, an own goal from Tural Bayramov brought the visitors level before the half-time break.
The striker has now recorded an impressive 17 goals and four assists in 14 league appearances for Bursaspor this season.
Despite dropping points, Bursaspor remain top of the league standings with 37 points
England manager Thomas Tuchel has left Cole Palmer and Phil Foden out of his latest squad for the final Nations League matches against Croatia and Spain.
However, Jobe Bellingham and Fulham midfielder Josh King have received their first senior call-ups.
Tuchel said Palmer had missed too many opportunities to represent England, despite scoring five goals and providing three assists for Chelsea this season.
Jobe Bellingham joins his elder brother, Jude, in the squad after impressing at Borussia Dortmund.
King also earns his first call-up following a strong start to the season, with two goals and one assist in the Premier League.
Defender Ben White returns to the squad for the first time since March, while Declan Rice is also back after missing the previous camp through injury.
Djed Spence has also returned after recovering from injury.
England will host Croatia at Wembley on November 12 before travelling to Madrid to face Spain three days later.
Tuchel’s side are second in Group A4, three points behind leaders Spain. The top two teams will qualify for the Nations League quarter-finals.
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