Football journalist Pooja, speaking on the FIFA World Cup Roundup Show, has said Nigeria remains far behind the world’s leading football nations in both infrastructure and on-field performance.
According to him, no stadium in the country currently meets FIFA’s standards to host a World Cup match, stressing that even the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo falls short.
“Infrastructure-wise, I think we have a long way to go. I don’t think there’s any stadium in Nigeria that can host the World Cup. Even Uyo cannot. The facilities in Uyo are like 20% of what you have in Atlanta Stadium or the New Jersey Stadium.”
Pooja argued that building more stadiums alone is not the solution, saying many existing facilities are underutilised because local football lacks a strong fan culture.
“We don’t even watch matches in Nigeria. There’s no fan base. It’s a waste of resources. Look at Uyo; apart from Super Eagles games, the stadium is not used to its full capacity.”
He also questioned the quality of the current Super Eagles, pointing to disappointing results against teams including Lesotho, Zimbabwe, South Africa, DR Congo, Sierra Leone and Morocco as evidence that Nigeria struggles in crucial matches.
Comparing the standard of football at the FIFA World Cup with Nigeria’s level, Pooja said the gap is significant.
“The level of football being played at this World Cup is out of this world. Infrastructure-wise, we are not even 10% close to countries like the USA or Morocco.”
He added that, in his opinion, Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman are the only Nigerian players capable of walking into the starting XI of any top African national team, concluding that Nigeria still has a long way to go in football development.
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