Former Super Eagles star Peterside Idah has voiced concerns over Nigeria’s inadequate preparations for the 2025 African Cup of Nations in Morocco, SportPremi reports.
Nigeria is facing multiple challenges just weeks ahead of the 2025 African Cup of Nations, complicating the Super Eagles’ preparations.
The tournament kicks off on December 21, yet Nigeria has not announced its final squad, despite the December 11 deadline set by CAF.
The team is also expected to convene at their training camp in Morocco, with a friendly against Egypt scheduled for December 16.
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong also announced his retirement from international football last week, adding to the growing list of absentees with Benjamin Fredrick ruled out, while Ola Aina and Stanley Nwabali are major doubts for the tournament.
Reports have also emerged about the unpaid salaries to head coach Eric Chelle, over a month after the players boycotted training over unpaid wages.
Nigeria have been placed in group C and will begin their campaign against Tanzania on the 23rd of this month.
The three-time champions will be in action again against Tunisia on the 27th, before concluding group action against Uganda on the 30th.
They finished second at the last edition, losing 2-1 in the final to Ivory Coast and will be eyeing a much improved finish this time around, led by their talismanic forward Victor Osimhen.
Everything Idah said
According to former Nigerian goalkeeper, Peterside Idah believes the poor planning by the Nigerian Football Federation could affect the country’s chances at the AFCON tournament.
“I don’t think we are psychologically ready for AFCON, and I don’t even know why I feel this way. Maybe it’s because we didn’t qualify for the World Cup. Look at the atmosphere in the country—nobody is talking about AFCON, nobody really cares”, the 52-year-old revealed.
“Whenever the Super Eagles qualify for the World Cup, you can feel the enthusiasm and joy all over the streets, but it’s very low now. Hopefully, the players can change things. I’m a strong Super Eagles fan and I hope they win it, but they need to do something special; if not, I doubt they can.”
On Troost-Ekong’s retirement
“The Nigeria Football Federation did not handle Ekong’s situation well. They handled it badly—absolutely badly. I’ve been in and around that team, and even before he announced his retirement, I knew they were going to sacrifice him”, he continued.
“How can your central defender and one of your best players want to retire before the Nations Cup, and you simply let him go? It is absolute madness. They should have told him to wait until after the tournament so he could go out on a high. But due to bad leadership, I don’t think he retired voluntarily. I believe they pushed him.”
