Football journalist Sulaiman Adebayo known as Pooja believes Nigeria still has plenty of work to do before it can be mentioned alongside the world’s top football nations, both on and off the pitch.
Speaking on the FIFA World Cup Roundup Show, he said the country is not yet in a position to host World Cup matches because none of its stadiums currently meet FIFA’s required standard.
According to him, even the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, often regarded as one of Nigeria’s best football venues, is still well below the level expected for a tournament of that size.
“Infrastructure-wise, I think we have a long way to go. I don’t think there’s any stadium in Nigeria that can host the World Cup. Even Uyo cannot. The facilities in Uyo are like 20% of what you have in Atlanta Stadium or the New Jersey Stadium”, he said.
Pooja also argued that simply building new stadiums is not enough. In his view, many of the facilities already available are not being fully used because local football does not attract enough regular supporters.
He stated:
“We don’t even watch matches in Nigeria. There’s no fan base. It’s a waste of resources. Look at Uyo; apart from Super Eagles games, the stadium is not used to its full capacity.”
Turning to the national team, he questioned whether the current Super Eagles are performing at the level many people expect. He pointed to Nigeria’s struggles against teams such as Lesotho, Zimbabwe, South Africa, DR Congo, Sierra Leone and Morocco as signs that the team is still falling short in important matches.
Comparing Nigeria with countries currently competing at the highest level, Pooja said the difference is clear, especially when it comes to infrastructure and the overall quality of football.
“The level of football being played at this World Cup is out of this world. Infrastructure-wise, we are not even 10% close to countries like the USA or Morocco”, Pooja said.
He also shared his opinion on the current Super Eagles squad, saying only two players stand out strongly enough to earn a place in any of Africa’s top national teams.
“Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman are the only Nigerian players capable of walking into the starting XI of any top African national team”, he said.
For Pooja, the conclusion is simple: while Nigeria remains one of Africa’s biggest football nations in terms of history and potential, there is still a long road ahead before it can compete with the very best in infrastructure and overall football development.
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