Former Nigerian midfielder Dimeji Lawal has criticised the Super Eagles’ friendly matches against Iran and Jordan, insisting that Nigeria must face higher-profile opponents to properly assess the team’s strength.
The Super Eagles missed out on qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after their defeat to DR Congo in the CAF playoff final last November and faced Iran and Jordan in two friendly matches in a four-nation invitational tournament during the international window.
Nigeria edged Iran 2-1 in their first game, before recording a 2-2 draw with Jordan in the second encounter, with both games holding in Antalya, Turkey.
Lawal reacts to Super Eagles’ matches against Iran and Jordan
The decision of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to organize two friendly matches against Iran and Jordan has been met with widespread criticism, with Lawal becoming the latest to voice his concerns.
According to the former Nigerian midfielder, it is very important for the team to play against the better sides to determine their strength and quality.
“Using Jordan and Iran as a yardstick to judge your team I don’t think we are serious that’s just the truth, I must confess to you, in any form you can’t compare Jordan to our team”, Lawal revealed.
“Like I keep harming on, our problem is our preparation we have the talent, the players and everything to excel but our preparation is always lackluster I don’t think it’s meaningful why don’t we look for teams that will prepare us for that tax and give us that challenge so when the qualification starts we will be able to measure up”, he concluded.
Meanwhile, Nigeria will now face two top European countries in the June international window, as they are set to face Poland on June 3 and Portugal seven days later, few days to the commencement of the World Cup tournament.
