Explained: How South Africa Pulled Ahead of Nigeria in Football Development
- South Africa are making good progress in football, and the same thing can't be said about the Super Eagles of Nigeria and their other national team
- Bafana Bafana qualified ahead of Nigeria while they were in the same group during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier
- A football analyst has explained what Mzansi are doing right that makes them move ahead of Nigeria
Bafana Bafana of South Africa are rated among the African countries on the rise in football, while Nigeria, once seen as a football giant, is struggling to stay afloat.
The difference in the football progression of both nations was evident during the FIFA World Cup qualifiers and at the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations held earlier this year.
Source: Getty Images
Nigeria is widely recognised as a top football nation. However, that status is slipping due to poor administrative decisions by the country's football authorities.
The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the last World Cup held in Qatar after losing to Ghana in the play-offs. Now, they find themselves in another difficult position as they attempt to qualify for the next tournament.
How SA pulled ahead of Nigeria
Football analyst Kingsley Akpan, in an interview with Briefly News, shared his views on the decline of Nigerian football and how South Africa is progressing steadily.
He criticised how Nigerian football administrators handled the World Cup qualifiers, especially compared to their South African counterparts.
“When the draw for the World Cup qualifiers was made, maybe they just overlooked it and thought any coach could qualify us,” Akpan said.
“Nigeria's administrators are really the problem. They ought to plan properly. The moment the draws were out, they ought to have made plans to appoint a coach and give him time to get acquainted with the team. That's what administrators do. That's the problem we have. And this is what South Africa is doing very well.”
Akpan acknowledged that the only aspect of football where Nigeria still leads in Africa is women's football, though other nations are catching up.
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“Nigeria is still top in women’s football. It’s the only thing still giving us joy, but the likes of Morocco, South Africa, Algeria, and Egypt are already catching up,” he added.
“In youth football, we are also falling behind. We need to learn from how other countries manage their football and improve our system if we want to move forward as a nation.”
Source: Getty Images
Nigeria are currently the reigning champions in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations after winning the last edition of the competition in Morocco, also facing South Africa in the semi-finals before beating the host in the final.
Hilton-Smith slams SAFA over Ellis
Briefly News also reported that former Banyana Banyana coach Fran Hilton-Smith has accused SAFA of being “unprofessional” in handling Desiree Ellis’s contract impasse.
SAFA’s national executive committee (NEC) approved a new four-year contract for Ellis. However, she has not signed the contract, reportedly over disagreements with certain clauses.
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Source: Briefly News
