World Cup Qualifiers: Tinubu Gave Us Everything—Olopade ...Time to Rebuild for AFCON 2025

World Cup Qualifiers: Tinubu Gave Us Everything—Olopade

...Time to Rebuild for AFCON 2025

Following Nigeria’s failure to reach the final playoffs of the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Honourable Bukola Olopade, has insisted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu provided every necessary support during the qualification campaign.

Speaking to journalists at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Olopade noted that both the President and all administrative stakeholders played their part.

“When Mallam Shehu Dikko and I assumed office, we inherited a team sitting second from bottom with just three points from four matches,” he said. “Our first task was to build a functional partnership between the NFF and the Sports Commission. Thankfully, we already had a strong relationship—Dikko from the NFF side, and myself from the private sector where my company had long worked with the Federation. Guzau is my brother, Sanusi is my brother, and we’ve always operated as one family.”

Olopade urged Nigerians not to engage in blame games:
“The public is pointing fingers, but this is not the time to blame individuals or institutions. The President provided every tool required. The NFF got the support needed to empower the team. Still, we didn’t qualify. The setback didn’t start today—by right, we shouldn’t have been in the playoffs at all. We failed as a nation, and I apologize. Everything possible was done, but it didn’t happen. Now, our focus must shift to the future.”

Looking ahead, he emphasized seriousness toward the next major assignment:
“AFCON 2025 is around the corner, and we cannot fail Nigerians again. We must sustain strong collaboration with the NFF and all stakeholders to ensure top-quality preparation—logistically and otherwise. The NFF must work out modalities with the clubs to guarantee early arrival of our players. We must restore the feel-good factor to Nigerian homes come December–January AFCON in Morocco.”