Former international, Jide Oguntuase, has spoken out against the creation of a Presidential Support Group to help the Super Eagles qualify for the 2026 World Cup, describing the initiative as a waste of resources.
There are strong indications that the group which is expected to take off with N3 billion grant will be headed by a Governor and comprise of other key government functionaries and captains of industry.
However, Oguntuase believes the money to be spent on the PSG would be better used to improve the team as he does does not see any value in the task force. “The federal government has set up a Presidential Support Group to help the Super Eagles qualify,” he said. “But do we really need it? No.
It is a waste of money. The task force is not playing football, so what are they going to do? “It would be more useful for the NFF president (Ibrahim Gusau) to meet with the team a day before the match and say, ‘Win this match for the country, and there will be a reward.
SeeThat would be better than spending money on a task force.” Oguntuase strongly believes that Nigeria should use more players from the NPFL rather than relying entirely on foreign-based professionals.
He said, “These local players are very talented. If we bring them into the national team, it will push the professional players to work harder because they will have competition. “Home-based players are not entertainers; they are serious footballers.
Before we traveled out to play football, we were playing in the Nigerian league. There is no big difference. . “Honestly, we should not depend only on foreign professionals. Seven or eight home-based players should be included in the team.
That way, the national team will be stronger. If the foreign-based players are not performing well, they should be dropped.” Another issue Oguntuase pointed out is the way the national team prepares for matches. He criticized how players arrive late to camp saying this distort team cohesion. “If players are invited on Friday, they don’t show up until Tuesday, and then they train together for only a few days before the match.
How can we expect them to perform well? “If the players come to camp immediately, it will help us prepare better.” Despite his concerns, Oguntuase believes Nigeria can still qualify for the World Cup if the players take their matches seriously.
“We can qualify if our players are determined. No African team can beat us if our boys are ready,” he said confidently.
“In the game against the Benin Republic, our defenders just watched as the ball went into our net instead of stopping it. If our players are willing to fight for victory, we will qualify,” he stated. Oguntuase also called for a stronger football system in Nigeria.
He suggested that home-based players should have a dedicated national team that trains together regularly. “When we were playing, there was a home-based national team.
They played every day, trained together, and built teamwork. That’s how it should be,” he explained. He also wants more local coaches to be involved in the national team setup. “It is good that coaches like Daniel Ogumodede and Fidelis Ilechukwu are coming in. But we still need a full homebased team,” he added.
