AFCON 2025
Former Nigeria defender Taye Taiwo didn’t mince words about the Super Eagles’ faltering World Cup qualification campaign, criticizing key stars like Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman for what he sees as underperformance.
Eric Chelle’s men are in a tough spot, needing to defeat Benin by at least 2 goals, and hope South Africa drop points against Rwanda.
Taiwo, who played for Nigeria at the 2010 World Cup, labelled the situation:
“It’s a shame. Upon all the good players we have playing for good clubs, it’s a shame that we can’t make it to the World Cup.”
He went on to warn against overreliance on individual talent, arguing that even the best need consistency and urgency:
“We have a lot of good players; we have the quality to qualify. It’s just a minor thing that becomes a big thing for us.”
Taiwo also emphasised early preparation, pointing to North African nations as examples:
“If you are going for the World Cup, you need to start early. Because of the World Cup, there is no time to wait for anybody. If you see Egypt and Tunisia, they started early, they won all their games.”
“They can afford to rest players now. But for us, we can’t do that, we have to keep using the same players because we desperately need the points.”
With the Super Eagles’ qualification hopes hanging by a thread, Taiwo’s scathing remarks add extra pressure on the squad ahead of their crucial fixture against Benin Republic.
Eric Chelle joins the players in training.
It's serious business in Uyo. pic.twitter.com/AhXEvE6Esd
— POOJA!!! (@PoojaMedia) October 13, 2025
