Former Nigerian international Sylvanus Okpala has expressed disappointment over being denied the opportunity to coach the Super Eagles during their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.
The 63-year-old, a member of Nigeria’s victorious 1980 Africa Cup of Nations squad, revealed in an interview with The Sun newspaper that he had offered to assist then-coach Austin Eguavoen without demanding a salary, but the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) turned down his proposal.
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“When we had six matches left in the qualifiers, our destiny was still in our hands,” Okpala said.
“Austin Eguavoen was doing well as manager. Why remove him? I advised the NFF to let him finish the qualifiers, and we would have qualified for the World Cup.
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“I even offered to join him in the coaching crew, just like I did with the late Stephen Keshi, and I told them not to pay me any salary, only camp allowances and match bonuses if we won.
We would sign an agreement that if we qualified, I’d get a specified amount. But all my appeals were rejected, and they went ahead to hire a foreign coach (Eric Chelle).”
Nigeria currently sits fourth in Group C with seven points from six matches, one win, four draws, and a loss, six points adrift of leaders South Africa. Rwanda and Benin occupy the second and third spots with eight points each.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will be the largest in history, featuring 48 teams instead of the traditional 32.
