By Tayo Ogunseye
Nigeria has been advised to focus on key aspects of developing football if it wants to reach it’s full potential at the global stage especially at the FIFA World Cup.
A total of 48 teams are participating in the ongoing World Cup co-hosted by the United States of America, Mexico and Canada.
With football euphoria gripping the world, Samuel Anikoh, the President of Lekki Scrabble Classic (LSC) has weighed in on the attention which the fiesta is generating but without the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the Americas.
The Super Eagles who lost the African playoffs to Congo DR through a penalty shootout failed to return to the United States where they announced their presence to the world with captivating performances at the 1994 World Cup and a follow-up masterpiece as the U-23 team won the football gold medal two years later at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Ten African teams; Morocco, Egypt, Senegal, Cape Verde, Ghana, Algeria, Tunisia, Congo Democratic Republic, Ivory Coast and South Africa enjoyed the limelight created during the 38-day championship.
Anikoh underlined the power which the global fiesta wields as he emphasised that countries should do more than enough to ride in the opportunities it provides by the tournament which is projected by FIFA to be viewed by 5-6 billion globally.
“The World Cup is arguably the greatest global event, with football lovers glued to their screens for over a month ( from June 11-July 19) of exhilarating competition and sportsmanship. Interestingly even in countries like ours who didn’t qualify, the whole nation is still following the football fiesta because of the love and passion for the game.”
He warned that the country cannot afford to miss out for the third time in a row and be left in the lurch at the next edition as relevant stakeholders must invest and begin preparations for the 2030 edition in earnest.
“Early preparations is going to be critical to ensuring Nigeria qualifies for the next World Cup. When you see the deliberate efforts and investments the top footballing nations have made in developing players from a very young age, you begin to understand the template that has worked for these countries, as it gives them the opportunity to develop an identity and consistently grow in the way they play.”
He believed the football fraternity have the capacity of taking the sport to it’s deserved level just like the way Nigeria emerged as the Best-Scrabble Playing Nation in the world after upstaging the United States as a result of proper planning involving schools and the grassroots.
“This is something that we identify with in LSC, having kicked off our LSC school scrabble programme last school year and put plans in motion to introduce a kids section at the 2026 edition of the Lekki Scrabble Classics event” he emphasised.
When asked if it was possible for Nigeria to win the World Cup he said:
“It’s definitely possible, and we have done it before. I still have fond memories of the Nigerian U-23 team that had Kanu Nwankwo winning the Olympics football gold in Atlanta 1996.
Having a core of young players who can continue to develop and grow together is something that will definitely benefit the game.
Of course, all of these require proper administration, coaching and funding to actualise the dreams of millions of Nigerians.” he stated
