Nigeria urged to end government sports funding after football failures

Nigeria should stop relying on government funding for sports, Ehi Braimah has argued. The Super Eagles missed the 2022 and 2026 World Cups, while the Super Falcons will miss the Women’s World Cup for the first time since the competition began in 1991.

Braimah said years of public spending on grants, camps, travel, competitions, bonuses and other interventions had not produced a stable football system. Instead, he argued, increased government involvement had coincided with deeper dysfunction and repeated failures by Nigeria’s national teams.

The Super Eagles finished second in their 2026 qualifying group before losing to DR Congo on penalties in the African play-off. Nigeria’s absence was particularly damaging because Africa had 10 places at the expanded 48-team tournament, yet the country still failed to qualify.

The Super Falcons suffered another major setback. They were beaten 1-0 by Cameroon in the WAFCON quarter-finals and then lost 2-1 to South Africa in the play-off for a place at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. That result ended Nigeria’s uninterrupted presence at the women’s global tournament since its launch.

Braimah said replacing officials alone would not solve the crisis. He questioned calls to remove Nigeria Football Federation president Ibrahim Gusau and the board, arguing that a new group would achieve little without grassroots development, reliable facilities, a lasting football structure and a sustainable football economy.

He also called for scrutiny of the money entering and leaving Nigerian football. The House of Representatives has previously moved to examine about $25 million in FIFA and CAF grants received by the NFF between 2015 and 2025, while documents concerning a ₦12 billion Federal Government intervention are with the EFCC and ICPC for investigation. Allegations have also been raised over ₦152.6 million in payments to private accounts linked to officials, staff and associates between 2018 and 2026, although no individual has been found guilty through those investigations.

The NFF says its accounts are audited, that FIFA and CAF funds have designated uses, and that its 2025 Congress approved the 2024 financial statements and backed the Gusau-led board. Braimah said independent verification remained necessary, alongside a system that would make football less dependent on taxpayers and clarify responsibility for failures.