Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, Hon. Adeyinka Adeboye, has thrown his full support behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive for a total rebuild of Nigerian football following the Super Eagles’ devastating World Cup playoff defeat to DR Congo on Sunday night.
Speaking shortly after the President urged the team to immediately regroup for the next Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2025), Adeboye praised the President’s swift reaction, calling it a clear sign of a leader genuinely committed to restoring national sporting pride.
“You can see from the President’s message that he is a true lover of sports. This is not a time to point fingers. It is a time to take ourselves seriously,” Adeboye stated. “We cannot continue leaving things too late. The work to reclaim our glory must start now.”
Adeboye, who was with the team in Morocco, described the loss as painful but maintained that Nigerian football is rich with untapped talent and potential. He warned, however, that talent alone is insufficient.
“We have excellent talents across the world. But talent alone will not work. We need structure, early preparation, discipline, scouting, and a development system that produces consistency,” he stressed.
The Senior Special Assistant firmly echoed President Tinubu’s charge for administrators, coaches, and stakeholders to return to the drawing board and focus the rebuilding efforts entirely on AFCON 2025.
President Tinubu had earlier demanded that the team put the defeat behind them and shift focus to the continental championship, scheduled for December 2025 to January 2026 in Morocco.
Adeboye fully endorsed this urgency, “AFCON is around the corner. We cannot waste time mourning. It is time to plan, to act, and to show the world that Nigeria still has the fire. The President has shown leadership—now the rest of us must match that energy.”
He concluded with a stern call for a culture shift in Nigerian sports administration: “Our football has suffered enough from last-minute decisions. Going forward, early preparation must become our culture. This is the only way to restore the glory of Nigerian football. The journey to AFCON 2025 begins today, not tomorrow.”
