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Absent Nigerians Confront World Cup ‘Bad Dream’ As They Play Portugal Today

Nigerians are facing up to the reality of not qualifying for the World Cup, which kicks off Sunday in Qatar, as the African football giants have to watch the football global showpiece from the sidelines.
The friendly match against the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the Estadio Jose Alvalade today is a wrap up for Portugal in preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup
Nigeria who will not be participating in Qatar following their qualifying heartbreak, will be looking to return to winning ways and close out the year on a high as they prepare for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures.
They will head into Thursday looking to finally give their fans something to cheer for following what has been an underwhelming year.
Nigeria Confront World Cup ‘Bad Dream’
Fans of the Super Eagles of the Nigeria have brought color, celebration, and drama with their drums, trumpets, and costumes at six previous World Cups where their team featured. In March, perennial rivals Ghana eliminated Nigeria in a World Cup play-off on the away goals’ rule after the first leg finished 0-0 in Ghana before a 1-1 draw in Abuja.
“It’s now a reality, a bad dream, that we will not be at the World Cup,” said Segun Olayinka, a fan based in Nigeria’s commercial capital of Lagos. “Our best players like Victor Osimhen and Wilfred Ndidi have been doing great at their clubs in Europe, but now they can only watch the World Cup on television, just like me.”
Nigeria’s German coach Gernot Rohr was sacked midway through the World Cup qualifiers and the coach said his firing was partly to blame for the team’s failure. He said the then-president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, had claimed his dismissal was to avert disaster.
“But in the end, he created the disaster that cost Nigeria the ticket to the World Cup,” Rohr said. “I regret that I did not take my team to win the World Cup, I regret my players will not be at the World Cup even though they deserve to be there.”
The closest the Super Eagles will come to be associated with the World Cup will be tonight in Lisbon, where they take on Portugal in a final warm-up game for the home team before they fly out to Qatar. “We’re a big football nation and the players are all disappointed they will not be going to the World Cup, said team spokesman Baba Femi Raji. “We now have to look ahead and this high-profile match is one of the ways we are already doing so.”
Many Nigerians are devoted followers of the English Premier League as well as Spain’s La Liga. Brazil’s squad has as many as 11 players from the Premier League. Club allegiance could see Nigerian fans rooting for Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus because they also support Arsenal or Vinicius Junior because of Real Madrid.
England could benefit from support as well and they also have Bukayo Saka, who has Nigerian roots. The parents of the Arsenal forward are Nigerian, but there are still many Nigerian fans who have not forgiven him for opting to play for England instead of the Super Eagles.
Will Nigerian fans now switch their support to “Old Enemy” Ghana who qualified at their expense or rather support other countries who have their favorite footballers?
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