Odegbami Advocates for Sustainable Football in Nigeria

Former Nigerian international Segun Odegbami has urged for a sustainable football system in Nigeria after the resignation of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Ibrahim Gusau and several board members on August 28. Speaking on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Odegbami stated that merely changing leadership would not resolve the underlying issues in Nigerian football.

He criticized the past 30 years of administrative practices, suggesting that appointing new administrators without addressing core problems would yield the same results. Odegbami advocated for football-loving technocrats to take leadership roles instead of political appointees and stressed the importance of a consistent player development system to strengthen Nigeria’s national teams.

He acknowledged that while Gusau may have achieved some successes, the true measure of success in football is winning on the field. Odegbami emphasized the need for a seamless production line in player development, similar to Brazil's approach to consistently participating in the World Cup.