2026 W/Cup Qualifier: Igwilo raises red flag at Super Eagles random home play ground
…Predicts 50-50 chances for Nigeria v South Africa
Ex International, James Igwilo slams the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) over their inability to have permanent home ground for the Super Eagles even as they face the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in next weekend’s crucial 2026 World Cup qualifier in Uyo.
The former youth international in a chat with Sports Vanguard yesterday from his Ireland base said the need for Eagles to have a ‘home’ is very paramount as it gives them better mastering of the ground and advantage against any visiting team.
He said, ” One of the major problems of the Super Eagles is playing at random stadia.. Super Eagles should have a home, a permanent Stadium where we can call our home, our own Wembley as a stadium. The idea of playing one match in Abuja today, another one in Uyo, the other one in Lagos, Kano or Kaduna does not help our national team.
“Nigeria should first of all have a home.
When you have a home, it becomes your House and you’ll know every nook and cranny of that house. So any visitor to that house is first of all, short of 20% in trying to know your home.
Now if the NFF keeps bringing our teams to different stadia, it’s like playing away from home. Before you hardly see Super Eagles playing draw game at home with all these smaller countries in Nigeria. Never! It never happened during my time in the national team. This affects players especially, the ones coming for the first time to the team. So this is my first red flag.”
Speaking ahead of Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against South Africa this weekend at Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, the Sports Ambassador in Dublin gave the Eagles 50-50 chances against their Bafana Bafana of South Africa opponents.
“From what I saw of the Nigerian team during the 2023 AFCON in Cote D’Ivoire, We only had individual determined players but we didn’t play like a team. And against South Africa on Friday, for me, my candid opinion is that it’s going to be 50-50. It can go either way because we don’t have a team.
“Like before when we had a team even a layman in the street can predict how many goals the Eagles will score, but now, everyone is afraid and no one can predict the score line and it comes to pass, but now, 60% of Nigerians are afraid. So we have given most of the African countries the opportunity to believe that we are no longer the giants of Africa ” he said.
He however hailed the appointment of Finidi as the substantive Super Eagles Coach, but fears that the interference from the NFF officials will affect job and performance with the team.
The former Enyimba FC of Aba player added that “Finidi is a good coach, no doubt, but the only fear I have with Finidi is that he’s going to coach with fear. First and foremost, he’ll be looking to protect his job because, he will not like to step on some big toes and for that he will not bring all his coaching experience to bear. That’s what makes coaches not perform well. But if you give him that freedom and allow him to carry his duties to the best of his experience, he will surely do well. So if they can allow Finidi to take his decisions the way and when he wants it, fine and good, I can’t question his experience. He has the experience.
“Why Westerhof was the most successful coach Nigeria ever had was not that he knew more than others. During his time we were part of his team then. Westerhof had that authority over his team and that helped him take decisions on his own”.
However, Igwilo also raised another Red Flag in the invitation of every player to the national team in the guise of playing abroad.
” We should limit the invitation of every tom dick and harry to the national team because they live abroad.
If the player is not consistently playing in his team, it’s a Red Flag. A Home Based player that is playing regularly in his team and scoring goals for his team is very much better than someone abroad that’s not playing.
I have to be honest with you, in football, money plays over 25% – 30%. When you have money, it boosts your confidence. Imagine that you invite a home based to the Super Eagles and he knows that if he plays well , he’s sure of getting 500 US dollars as a match bonus he’s sure of giving you all his best than someone that’s not playing, but because he’s in abroad, and this is killing our teams, so they should watch out “
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