Former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh has warned that Nigeria could suffer the same prolonged World Cup decline as Italy if the country fails to address deep-rooted problems in its football system and adapt to the demands of the modern game.

Oliseh raised the concern as the Super Eagles prepare to enter camp, arguing that Nigeria must look beyond occasional successes and confront the structural weaknesses threatening its footballing future.

Speaking in an interview aired on Brila FM, the former midfielder said Italy’s struggles demonstrated how a football nation with a rich history could lose its competitive edge by failing to evolve.

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

Italy, four-time FIFA World Cup winners, have endured a remarkable decline on the global stage, failing to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups despite their historic pedigree. Their triumph at Euro 2020 offered a reminder of their enduring potential, but subsequent struggles exposed the difficulty of sustaining success.

Oliseh attributed Italy’s difficulties partly to its traditional defensive approach, which once helped the country dominate international football but, in his view, has struggled to keep pace with tactical and technical developments.

“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.”

He argued that modern football requires greater tactical flexibility, warning that methods that once delivered results could become liabilities when teams fail to adapt.

“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.”

Drawing parallels with Nigeria, Oliseh warned that the country’s football authorities and stakeholders must learn from Italy’s experience rather than assume that past achievements will guarantee future success.

“It is similar to what is happening to Nigerian football,” he said. “If we are not careful, this might rub off on us.”

The warning comes amid concerns about Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a setback that has intensified scrutiny of the Super Eagles and the country’s football administration.

Oliseh’s comments also challenged what he considers an excessive willingness to celebrate limited achievements without addressing the underlying problems preventing Nigerian football from reaching its potential.

He expressed concern that some stakeholders were satisfied with the Super Eagles reaching the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations and finishing third, despite the need for more substantial progress.

Such achievements, he suggested, should not obscure the urgent need to identify and implement lasting solutions to Nigeria’s footballing difficulties.

For Oliseh, the central lesson from Italy’s experience is that a distinguished football history cannot substitute for continuous development. Without meaningful reforms and a willingness to embrace the evolution of the game, he warned, Nigeria risks falling further behind its international rivals.