Ebonyi Commissioner for Youth Development and Sports, Mr Richard Idike, and fans, have advised the Super Eagles against complacency as they approach their World Cup playoffs in November.
The respondents, who spoke to NAN yesterday in Abakaliki, said the players should not feel over-confident of a World Cup spot due to their impressive defeat of Benin Republic.
The Eagles secured a playoff spot for the mundial by beating Benin Republic 4-0 on Tuesday, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.
Idike said the players should stay focused and realise that their opponents at the playoffs equally want to be at the World Cup.
“Nigerians are saying that the team could not have been in this precarious situation if it had approached all its qualifiers as the Benin Republic match.
“They approached the match as if their lives depended on it and this approach should be sustained at the playoffs.
“The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) should do everything possible to ensure we emerged victorious at the playoffs due to the concerns the Benin Republic match generated,” he said.
A Member of the Ebonyi Football Association, Ikenna Odo, urged the Eagles to avoid little mistakes that cost it an automatic qualification spot.
“The playoffs qualification is a huge relief but we have to face the reality that the road is still filled with thorns.
“We still have other countries to contend with at the FIFA playoffs in March, 2026 even if we win the African playoffs,” he said.
Chief Barry Obiekwe, a Transporter and football enthusiast, said the NFF by now must have understood Nigeria’s feeling towards a successive World Cup miss.
“You can see reactions across the country even from President Bola Tinubu, on the importance attached to the World Cup qualification.
“The federation inconceivably used four coaches to prosecute 10 qualifiers, and such technical inconsistency destabilised the team,” he said.
A teacher and another football enthusiast, Mrs Ogechukwu Onuoha, urged Nigerians to pray for the team to be at its best in subsequent matches.
“You could have imagined the mood in the country had we not qualified for the playoffs.
“The onus lies on the players to be fit, focussed and committed to prevent the heart break of another World Cup miss,” Onuoha said.