Former Nigeria internationals, Sylvanus Okpala and Duke Udi, shared their thoughts on Nigeria’s recent victory over Benin Republic in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Okpala praised the Super Eagles for the result but used the opportunity to express his long standing views on the federation ‘s appointment of Eric Chelle’s
“It was a good game, a good result, congratulations to the team. But I still maintain that if they had left Augustine Eguavoen in charge, we would not have found ourselves in this position.
“When he was removed, I wrote to the NFF and told them not to remove him. I asked them to leave him there because he had stabilized the team after taking over from Finidi George.
“He had already qualified us for the Africa Cup of Nations and would have qualified us for the World Cup. I even offered to assist him, and I know he would have accepted.
“We would have won all six matches and made it to the World Cup. But they removed him, and that was where the problems started.
“Thankfully, we have now qualified for the playoffs. Let’s see how it goes. Congratulations again to the boys. I believe we will improve, reach the next round, and qualify for the World Cup.”
Speaking further, Okpala emphasized the need for Nigerian coaches to lead the national team.
“As far as the Super Eagles are concerned, the coaching problem will only be solved by Nigerian coaches.
“I am not against hiring foreigners or anyone else, but if you want lasting solutions, it has to come from within. I was there with Stephen Keshi. In just one year and three months, we won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013 and qualified for the 2014 World Cup.
“No team overwhelmed us during that AFCON. We even beat Ivory Coast, which had some of the best players in Africa like Didier Drogba, Kolo Toure, and Yaya Toure. We beat them with home-based players who were with us.”
Udi, while acknowledging the win, took a more technical and critical view of the match.
“I am not carried away. I look at football technically and tactically, having played the game myself.
“With all due respect, after watching all the group matches, I believe Benin Republic is the weakest team in our group. We won because we have better individual players, not because we played better as a team. Benin barely passed the ball.
“It was a game of individuals versus individuals, and our quality gave us the edge. Even Lesotho passed the ball better than both teams.”
“Look at South Africa that’s a team. Even their star striker from Burnley started on the bench.
“Their coach made five or six changes from the team that drew against Zimbabwe. That shows belief in teamwork over individual talent.
“For Nigeria, if Osimhen doesn’t play, we have a problem. The same goes for Benin. Remove one or two of their key players and they struggle. So in my opinion, I didn’t watch two fantastic teams.”
Okpala Defends Eric Chelle
“The key moment was the first half. Benin failed to hold Nigeria early.
“Before the match, I said if Benin could keep it 0-0 in the first half, they might get something out of the game. But once Nigeria scored first, it was over.
“In qualifiers, the coach’s job is not to play the most exciting football. All over the world, you only get two or three days to train before these games.
“The goal is to manage the players and get the maximum points. Once you qualify for the AFCON or the World Cup, then you can start implementing your football philosophy. But in qualifiers, it’s all about results.”
Also read: Race to 2026 FIFA World Cup: Full List of Qualifiers & Playoff Contenders
Sylvanus Okpala earned 45 caps for Nigeria, represented the country at the Africa Cup of Nations and the Olympics, and won the AFCON as a player in 1980.
He later returned to win it again in 2013 as assistant coach under the late Stephen Keshi.
Duke Udi earned five caps for Nigeria and featured in both World Cup and AFCON qualifiers.
