Former Nigerian international, Peterside Idah has called for more qualified professionals to be involved in the running of Nigerian football.
He stressed that the current state of the game in the country is in urgent need of change.
The Super Eagles’ performances in recent years have fallen below expectations, with the men’s senior national team now at risk of missing the world’s biggest stage for a second successive edition.
Idah criticized the lack of professionalism among those presently overseeing the sport, arguing that many of them have little or no business being in football administration.
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“I don’t want to get into the Nigerian case. I’ve seen this rottenness for a very long time. We’ve complained deeply. Sometimes they think because we played football, we don’t qualify to run football. And it’s a big shame,” Idah said.
He urged ex-players with the right qualifications to step forward and contribute, insisting that the outdated perception of footballers as “dropouts” must end.
“I went to school, and I have enough education, and I played the game. You need to have the ability to manage things—business and whatever it is—to be able to run an organization. But sometimes they don’t honour us. They don’t respect us. Once you play football, they look at you as a dropout. I’m not.”
Idah maintained that with the right people in charge—particularly former players who combine education with playing experience—Nigerian football can move in a more progressive direction.
