Okpala warns against ‘imported’ solution as Super Eagles face AFCON qualification crisis

Former Super Eagles player and assistant coach Sylvanus Okpala has warned that Nigeria’s national team cannot solve its current problems by importing football philosophies that do not suit the country’s style of play.

Okpala spoke after the Super Eagles suffered a shock 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in a 2027 AFCON qualifier, describing the performance as the worst he had seen from the team in a long while.

The Super Eagles are now set to travel to Russia for an international friendly against the hosts on October 6.

Speaking with Sports Vanguard, Okpala said the team showed virtually no tactical organisation against Guinea-Bissau.

“If they were tactical, at least, one would have seen a rugged defense line and some movement or signs of match plan and, perhaps, if passes were being disrupted or impeded, one would attribute that to the bad pitch. There was no bite, no defence, no strategy, nothing. I don’t think they had a match plan.”

Okpala said the blame for the defeat should not be placed entirely on either the players or the coaching staff.

“Well, I wasn’t there to know if they did not listen to the coach’s instructions, but from what one saw, one could say the blame was partly the players’ and partly technical,” he said.

“These are big professional players and as professionals, there are certain decisions you make on the pitch that don’t have to come from the coach because you play to the coach’s instructions and you add your own.”

According to Okpala, Nigeria’s failure to plan for future challenges has contributed significantly to the current situation.

“I think we have not been thinking ahead,” he said, adding that he had been warning about the issue for the past three to four years.

“I said all this before now; not that I am a seer or the man who saw tomorrow. I was only making commonsense from my experience and knowledge of the game. We have not been proactive in our thinking.”

The former assistant coach reiterated his belief that Nigerian coaches are best placed to address the Super Eagles’ difficulties.

“I have always insisted that it is only Nigerian coaches that can solve this problem of the national team. I still stand by it,” he said.

Okpala said he had previously warned that Nigeria could one day struggle to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, let alone the World Cup.

“It could get worse. I didn’t know it would come so soon,” he said.

“I said it that a time would come that we may not be able to qualify for the Nations Cup talk less of the World Cup. 32 or so number countries qualify for the Nations Cup. If you cannot qualify for that how can you qualify for the World Cup that has 9 slots. But we still have the opportunity to salvage the situation. It was a very bad result.”

Nigeria are in Group L alongside Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar and Tanzania, with only one team qualifying from the group.

However, Okpala believes Nigeria can still recover, stressing that qualification matches are primarily about securing results.

“It is not over yet. When it comes to qualifiers, like this, you don’t look for good football or entertaining football. If you can play exciting football fine, but the major target is to play and qualify,” he said.

He added that national teams often have only a few days to prepare for competitive matches, making tactical planning and player management crucial.

“You come, after one or two days training you play a match, so there is no time for training. All you try to do within the short time you have is to plan your strategy, to make sure you don’t lose your matches at worst get away draw.”

Okpala also dismissed suggestions that the Nigeria Football Federation was responsible for the latest setback.

“The present failure has nothing to do with the NFF because the management was in place the coach was there, he knew the time of the game and planned for it. The logistics were in place.”

On the issue of player selection, Okpala said having the biggest names in the squad does not automatically guarantee success.

“Football has gone beyond having the best 11,” he said, pointing to Portugal and France as examples of teams that have had some of the world’s top players but still failed to win major tournaments.

He contrasted them with Spain, arguing that success comes from having a team capable of playing effectively together rather than simply assembling famous individuals.

Okpala also warned against copying the football philosophies of other countries without considering Nigeria’s own identity.

“You don’t come and say you want to play like Brazil, or you want to play like Argentina. No. Every country has its own style of play,” he said.

“England, for instance, don’t play like Spain. They play their own way. But there are certain things you can copy that suit your own way of play, not everything.”

He concluded that Nigeria needs a football philosophy that fits its own strengths rather than one imposed from outside.

“So every country has its own style of play. You don’t import a style of play that don’t suit our football philosophy. That is the problem.”

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