Omoruyi urges NFF technical department to lead football review

Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the Super Falcons’ absence from the 2027 Women’s World Cup have prompted calls for stronger football analysis. Former Nigeria international Loveday Omoruyi says the Nigeria Football Federation’s technical department should take responsibility for examining what went wrong.

Omoruyi believes the department should conduct detailed reviews after major competitions instead of leaving the work mainly to temporary fact-finding committees. He wants those assessments to produce clear findings and practical recommendations for improving the national teams.

The former international said the reviews should cover preparation, tactics, player selection, technical choices and the teams’ overall performances. In his view, the NFF’s existing technical structure should be able to identify failures, explain their causes and set out the steps required to address them.

His position follows the NFF’s decision to create a fact-finding committee after the World Cup qualification setbacks involving the Super Eagles and Super Falcons. Although the inquiry has received support from some stakeholders, others have questioned the need for another committee when the federation already has technical and administrative bodies responsible for reviewing national-team performances.

Omoruyi’s proposed solution is to give the NFF technical department enough authority and resources to carry out its work, then ensure that its recommendations are implemented. He also called for closer cooperation between the NFF and the National Sports Commission, saying both institutions have responsibilities in the development of Nigerian football and the improvement of the national teams.

He argued that better coordination between football officials, technical personnel and government sports authorities could reduce institutional disconnect. For Omoruyi, accountability should start with a proper technical assessment that identifies the problems, proposes specific remedies and gives the relevant football structures the power to act.