*Speaks on the 2026 World Cup qualification
Former coach of the Super Eagles, Bonfrère Jo has taken a swipe at the current players of the Nigerian senior national team for struggling to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, doubting the possibility.
Bonfrère was reacting to the Super Eagles’ one all-draw encounter on Tuesday against the visiting Warriors of Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio stadium, Uyo.
According to report by CompleteSports, Bonfrère who was the national coach when Nigeria won the 1996 Olympics Gold Medal in football, was quoted as saying that if it was his time, the fans would have thrown stones at the players.
“How do you expect to qualify for the World Cup if you don’t win games?” Bonfrère questioned.
He continued, “In the past, if we didn’t beat Zimbabwe 3-0 or 4-0, the fans would throw stones at us.
“With the huge number of Super Eagles players in top European leagues, a 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe is unacceptable. I don’t see how they can qualify for the World Cup, except maybe through the play-offs.
“If that happens, good. But it’s embarrassing that the Super Eagles are struggling against teams they should be beating convincingly.”
When asked what could have gone wrong in the game:
He said, “I didn’t watch the match, but did the coach not have enough information on Zimbabwe? Did he use the wrong tactics? Or did the players fail to execute the game plan?
“Was it a loss of concentration? Why couldn’t the attackers score more goals? If they had put away two or three chances, Zimbabwe’s late goal wouldn’t have mattered as much.
“It’s sad, painful, and unfortunate. Small teams are now looking the Super Eagles in the eye and asking, ‘What can you do?’ No team fears them anymore, and that is worrying,” Bonfrère Jo lamented.
