Nigeria’s failure to qualify for back-to-back FIFA World Cups has convinced former Super Eagles midfielder Etim Esin to call for urgent reforms in the country’s football system, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Super Eagles, who made their World Cup debut in 1994, have now missed two consecutive tournaments. The first was in Qatar 2022 after a painful away-goals defeat to Ghana, and again in the race for the 2026 finals, where they fell to DR Congo on penalties in the African play-off final.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) played a major role in the World Cup failure and Esin did not hold back in his criticism of those in charge.
“Let’s call a spade a spade you failed twice to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, it’s not acceptable,” he told Brila.
For Esin, the issue goes beyond results on the pitch. He believes there is a lack of proper planning and accountability within the NFF, especially in the technical department led by Augustine Eguavoen.
“Anyone they want to turn the table around, (they need) a long term plan in the next four years how are we going to work towards this to make sure we qualify for the next World Cup, that’s the problem,” he added.
“The technical department too, what are they doing. Eguavoen and co have been the head of technical department. For two consecutive World Cups we didn’t qualify yet you people are still there.”
Nigeria: Esin backs Emenalo and Mikel to lead change
As part of the solution, Esin pointed to two high-profile figures he believes can help rebuild Nigerian football: Michael Emenalo and John Obi Mikel.
“We have people like Michael Emenalo who has proven that he is capable, and the experience of someone like Mikel will help our fortunes,” Esin suggested.
Emenalo’s reputation as an elite football administrator has been built over years at top European clubs. At Chelsea, where he rose from scout to technical director, he played a key role in restructuring the club’s academy, recruitment system, and loan network. He was also influential in identifying and bringing in top talents such as Juan Mata, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, and N’Golo Kanté, players who later became global stars.
His work extended to improving the women’s team and youth development, helping Chelsea remain competitive at the highest level. After leaving the club in 2017, he continued his career as sporting director at AS Monaco, further strengthening his profile as one of the most respected football executives in the game.
Alongside Emenalo, Esin highlighted the experience and voice of former Super Eagles captain Mikel, who has also been outspoken about the current state of Nigerian football.
Mikel, who earned 89 caps and played at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, has openly called for sweeping changes at the NFF following the latest failure.
“It’s a hammer blow and I’ve said it so many times that when you have a country as big as we do… and we’re not going to the World Cup (for a) second time in a row, the FA, the people that are running the FA should all resign,” he said, per the Guardian.
“We have one of the best teams in Africa and we’re not going to be at the World Cup. It’s a disaster. It’s a disaster.”
He went further to stress that Nigeria is losing ground to rivals on the continent.
“We should be leading the way. Look at what Morocco is doing with their team, with their country. They’re growing; they’re developing and we keep going backwards time after time.”
The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be primarily hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. In a unique centenary celebration, the opening three matches will be held in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay to mark 100 years since the first World Cup. It will be the first tournament played across three continents.
