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Nigeria staked everything in World Cup qualification. On the eve of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) fired Gernot Rohr, opting to forego the chance to contend for the title. This was done, supposedly, in favor of the bigger prize of World Cup qualification.
It was evident that the bet had failed when anarchy descended on Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja after the final whistle announced the Super Eagles' elimination from World Cup qualifying.
Despite poor crowd management making it impossible to enter the stadium, a full house was packed in. They were hoping and expecting to celebrate after the Super Eagles drew 0-0 in Kumasi on Friday. The goalkeepers were the deciding factor.
Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup
A quick Thomas Partey shot beat Francis Uzoho from long range, while Joseph Wollacott saved a Leon Balogun header from point-blank range late in the second half.
As Ghana won the high-stakes match and heads to Qatar with 31 other countries, the Super Eagles must now prepare for the inquisition. In fact, it has already begun and will continue till the NFF elections later this year.
No one turned up for the post-match press conference due to the gloom that had descended at the conclusion. Despite this, the squad bus had not yet left the stadium more than two hours later.
What's in the future for Nigerian football?
Many outside were already questioning "What next?", while they remained pent up in the dressing room. And that's a legitimate concern. One that is both easy and difficult to answer.
Although a few players are on the wrong side of 30 and may elect to leap before being pushed, nothing will change among the players.
On the night of the game, captain Ahmed Musa told ESPN that he expected to play at least one more Africa Cup of Nations before retiring.
Balogun, who performed brightly throughout the qualification campaign, particularly in the two playoff games against Ghana, may potentially opt to retire. But, given what he brings to the table, his service will be much harder to let slide. Odion Ighalo is unlikely to make a comeback.
Things may not alter much outside of those three. It is even simpler for the coaches.
Austin Eguavoen was only hired on a temporary basis and will most likely return to his role as NFF technical director.
After the events of Tuesday night, much of the goodwill that existed a few months ago when his squad captivated fans as they breezed through their AFCON group, has vanished.
After the draw in Ghana, some in the NFF questioned his tactics, and those doubts grew louder when his roster for the return game in Abuja was unveiled.
All of this meant that, even if the team had qualified, Eguavoen was unlikely to take them to Qatar. As the NFF searches for a foreign coach, his staff will be let go as well.
But which NFF are we talking about? Therein lays the stumbling block.
History repeats in painful way for Nigerian fans
The events and circumstances surrounding the Super Eagles' failure to qualify for the World Cup, for only the second time since its maiden appearance in 1994, are replete with symmetry.
They failed to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations at the same site. The Super Eagles needed to win back then, as they did now, to ensure their spot in the tournament.
Instead, they could only draw their final qualifying match, that time against Guinea, just like they did on Tuesday night.
When the Nigerian team lost their World Cup ticket to Angola in 2006, they were coached by Christian Chukwu, a Nigerian, with Eguavoen as his assistant. In 2012, they were coached by Samson Siasia, also a Nigerian.
Siasia, like Eguavoen, is a member of Nigeria's fabled Class of '94. The team that established the Super Eagles and whose members have gone on to become Nigerian legends. However, they have been unable to match their success on the bench.
There are similarities off the field as well!
When Nigeria were denied a ticket to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Aminu Maigari, the then-chairman of the Nigerian Football Association, shrugged it off.
He claimed that the World Cup was not the nation's birthright. That remark did not go down well. It was used as a stick to lash him over and over with, during what turned out to be a very chaotic period for Nigerian football.
Amaju Pinnick was one of those at the forefront of the campaign to depose Maigari. Now it's 2022, and Pinnick claimed that the World Cup was his country's birthright in the build-up to the game against Ghana.
He staked everything on claiming that birthright, sacking the coach, trying to hire the Portuguese Jose Peseiro and repairing the Moshood Abiola Stadium.
He lodged the team in one of Abuja's top hotels, while guaranteeing them 30% of the World Cup prize pool. All of that was for naught because Ghana did not appear to have read the script.
Simon's miss in Kumasi proved catastrophic since he was the Super Eagles' finest player during the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. Wollacott may not be well-liked in Ghana, but he came through for the country when it counted the most.
It is apparent that the loss of the World Cup ticket will have a major impact on the upcoming NFF elections.
The reckoning has begun!
