By Habeebulah Tijani

Former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh has warned that Nigerian football could follow Italy’s decline unless the country fixes its structural problems and qualifies for the next FIFA World Cup.

Oliseh spoke as the Super Eagles prepare to enter camp. He said Italy’s struggles stem from a failure to adapt to modern football, despite a long record of success built on defensive discipline.

“Italian football is suffering, and that is what I am afraid my country will go through,” Oliseh said in an interview aired on Brila Fm. “They are suffering because the world has moved on and they have stayed behind.”

He said the approach that made Italy great no longer works. “What made Italian football great in the past, ever since they started winning titles in 1934, was the ability to always outmanoeuvre the opposition defensively,” he said. “They used negativity to win.”

“But football has evolved so much that you cannot pull somebody’s jersey, play hard and negative, and get away with it. To break out of this, they have to reinvent themselves, and they are struggling to do so.”

Oliseh drew a direct parallel with Nigeria. “It is similar to what is happening to Nigerian football,” he said. “If we are not careful, this might rub off on us.”

He cited Italy’s failure to qualify for consecutive World Cups, despite winning Euro 2020, as a cautionary example. He said Nigeria faces the same fate if the Super Eagles miss the next tournament.

The former midfielder also cautioned against celebrating modest achievements. He said some at home are satisfied with reaching the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final and finishing third, yet “are still not seeing the solution.” Such results, he stressed, should not distract from the need for meaningful improvement.