Whistle blower slams NFF for Super Eagles recent failures

By Ed Emeanua

Whistle blower account has revealed that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) interference in team selection is to blame for Super Eagles’ recent failures.

Though, NFF President Ibrahim Gusau publicly denied any influence in the selection of players for the African Cup of Nations which begins this month in Morocco, stating Coach Éric Chelle had full control, a whistle blower suggested otherwise.

The source who is also an FA insider stated that NFF officials pushed for their preferred players, leading to some changes from the coach’s initial list, a situation now fueling fan frustration over the final selection.

“The NFF president is the main problem,” our source who requested anonymity stated.

“He couldn’t have this level of freedom he has now with the present coach. To be able to push for the selection of his favored players and those of cohorts, that was why they fired the former coach (José Paseiro) and hired the current coach.

Gusau is not telling the truth. He knows, and I know why the Super Eagles is not going to the World Cup and why they will fail in Morocco this month. The problem is that nobody cares. It’s businees as usual for them.”

Super Eagles missed out on qualifying for next year’s World Cup tournament after losing their penalty-kick slugfest to DR Congo during last month’s playoff.

The failure to qualify for the 2026 Three Nation FIFA World Cup was regarded as a huge blow for Nigerian football, only for the coach to release his scandalous selection for the AFCON.

There were widespread claims and speculation that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) interfered with Super Eagles AFCON squad selection, with reports of lobbying and pressure for certain players, causing initial delays and controversy before the release.

Despite Gusau’s denials, sources suggested NFF officials pushed for their preferred players, leading to some changes from the coach’s initial list, a situation fueling fan frustration over the final selection. 

Our source alleges of Interference, with conflicting reports suggesting NFF officials engaged in lobbying for specific players, impacting the final squad list for AFCON 2025.

The squad list delays, our source further corroborated, were due to The NFF’s initial secrecy and delays in announcing the final squad. The delay of the release of the list was due to the intensive internal wrangling and external pressure on Coach Chelle.

According to the whistle blower, the official denial by Gusau was calculated to douse fan grievance over the scandalous list.

“They sent out the NFF president to publicly refute the claims of interference by asserting that player selection was solely the technical crew’s decision and he never directed coaches on who to pick,” the whistle blower stated.

“Gusau’s statement was calculated to control Fan & Media Reaction. There was significant backlash and questioning from fans and analysts regarding some inclusions and omissions, with beliefs that decisions weren’t based purely on merit.”

Our source insisted that the coach’s role has been effectively hijacked. While Chelle was given a mandate, some insiders felt the coach was reserved and avoided controversy, potentially making him susceptible to pressure from the federation.