Former Super Eagles and Al-Ittihad defender, Chikelue Iloenyosi, has criticized the character and passion of Nigeria’s senior men’s national football team, stating that hiring a Portuguese coach will not be the solution to their struggles.
In an interview with Brila.net, Iloenyosi expressed his disappointment following Nigeria’s underwhelming performance in the final phase of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
Despite already securing their place in the 2025 AFCON tournament in Morocco, the Eagles were expected to finish the qualifiers strong and secure victories in their remaining matches.
However, the team, under the leadership of coach Austin Eguavoen, failed to win either of their two last matches, collecting only one point from a possible six.
Nigeria played to a 1-1 draw against Benin Republic at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan last Thursday and then suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Monday, marking the end of their perfect home record in the qualifiers.
Prior to the defeat to Rwanda, Nigeria had secured back-to-back home victories against Benin (3-0) and Libya (1-0), keeping clean sheets in both matches. However, their poor performance against Rwanda left fans frustrated and angry.
Some football enthusiasts have called on the Nigeria Football Federation to appoint a foreign coach as the Eagles prepare for their must-win games when the World Cup qualifiers resume.
Speaking with Brila.net, Iloenyosi exonerated Eguavoen of any wrongdoing but emphasised that the players should be blamed for the defeat.
“Eguavoen has never been part of the problem. Even if you bring in someone like Mourinho to coach Nigeria, the team still lacks character.
“The pattern we played (against Rwanda), the boys didn’t position themselves well, no passion and character in the national team.
“Losing the game is not Eguavoen’s fault. Even if you bring in another coach, they will still lose that game,” the former Asteras Tripoli man said.
The victory marks Rwanda’s first-ever win against Nigeria, and they will now carry the confidence of this achievement into their next meeting with the Super Eagles during the March international break. Rwanda will aim to build on this success as both teams battle for qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.