What will it take for Super Eagles to have a permanent home again?

It’s now become very distant memory remembering the Super Eagles played at the once-iconic National Stadium, Lagos.

Yes, once-iconic because it was not only the finest and largest sporting venue in the country, but also one on the African continent.

All those memories such as the 1980 and 2000 Africa Cup of Nations triumphs have gone into ruin just as much a stadium itself has gone that way.

Since the Abuja Stadium was built for the 2003 All Africa Games and subsequently gone into ruin, the Super Eagles have reshuffled playing in Kano, Kaduna, Calabar, Port Harcourt, Uyo for about four years, before moving to Benin City and Asaba.

The national team was back in Lagos in 2021 after two decades, but this time at the facility opposite the National Stadium in Teslim Balogun Stadium. The Eagles have played three times there against Lesotho, Liberia and Central African Republic.

It’s not been convincing wins, with the latest one against CAR ending in an unexpected 1-0 loss.

It goes to show that Teslim Balogun Stadium is not really suitable and Gernot Rohr’s men will come into the November international fixtures playing Cape Verde at the same venue again.

What will it take for Nigeria to have a decent fixed ground for all it’s home fixtures?

The Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo was a very good ground that served the Super Eagles well, but with political differences standing in the way of the Akwa Ibom State Government and the Nigeria Football Federation, the affiliation with that stadium had to end.

It’s been going to the state that can bid highest to host the national team and its been used for political agenda as seen with the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba and Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City.

It’s a shame that sports is being intertwined with politics in Nigeria, but that is the reality we live with. 

Can there be a way out? Definitely, but it’s going to take that bond between political actors and sports breaking itself. It will be a tall order, but it can happen if there’s a shift in orientation whichever way, whenever.

Till then, the best solution to this is a return to either the National Stadium, Lagos or Abuja Stadium. They are property of the Federal Government and with the NFF indirectly under the authority of the Federal Government, there will be nothing like hosting from the highest bidder. It also means football can be concentrated on without a lot of politics in the mix.

The joyful thing is that both Lagos and Abuja national stadiums are undergoing a massive face-lift after years of decay. This is a good development because it will only hasten the Super Eagles’ return to either venue. It will however be dependent on how serious and quick work is on the renovation. It will also depend on the maintenance culture, something that is a general malaise with Nigerian infrastructure.

If the Lagos and Abuja national stadiums can come back to life, certainly, the dead memories of past will be reawakened to its glory once again, for a promising future that will put Nigeria back to the top of the football map in Africa.

If this doesn’t happen, we can simply lower our expectations of anything hopeful happening and hold on to any fragment of past memory that we can until it vanishes completely.

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Kunle is an avid writer with interest in topics on sports, politics, health, lifestyle and more. His articles have featured in Goal.com, Opera News, Vanguard News and other platforms. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in International Relations and is an advocate for people living with Hydrocephalus and other neurological conditions.

Follow him on Twitter: @kfayiga

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