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Tinubu Urges Super Eagles To Move On And Target AFCON 2025 Glory
Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has urged the Super Eagles to move past the disappointment of missing the World Cup and strive to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
With the scores tied at 1-1 after 120 minutes, the Leopards silenced Eric Chelle’s men through kicks from the penalty spot to book a ticket to the inter-confederation playoffs billed for Mexico.
In a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, the president praised the players for their effort but said the setback must now fuel a strong response in Morocco.
“Notwithstanding the unfortunate loss, we must commend the players for their efforts and continue to support them,” it read.
“We must now plug all the loopholes. Our football administrators, players, and indeed all stakeholders must go back to the drawing board.
“Now is the time to focus all efforts on the Cup of Nations. Our Super Eagles must recover the lost glory.”
The 2013 African champions lost the automatic ticket to South Africa following a poor start in the qualifiers as they failed to win their first four matches.
Since their World Cup debut in 1994 in the United States, Nigeria had never missed back-to-back qualifications until now.
Nigeria’s last World Cup appearance was in 2018 in Russia, where the side led by Gernot Rohr failed to advance from the group stage after defeats to Croatia and Argentina
Now, focus shifts to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), where the team aims to win a fourth title after finishing as runners-up in the previous edition in the Ivory Coast
Chelle’s men are drawn in Group C with Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda. Their opening match is against the Taifa Stars on December 23 at Fez Stadium.
