'Osimhen would have been like Maradona in 1986' - Pinnick regrets Nigeria's absence in Qatar
Published: December 01, 2022
Former Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick regrets Nigeria's failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
The Super Eagles painfully missed out on the ongoing tournament in Qatar after losing on the away goals rule 1-1 on aggregate in a playoff tie with Ghana back in March 2022.
Pinnick has been blamed for the Super Eagles' failure to make it to the competition after he decided to sack Gernot Rohr few months before the World Cup playoffs and appointed an untested coach Augustine Eguavoen to lead the team on an interim basis.
The handwriting was on the wall that Eguavoen was not cut out for the Super Eagles job after the national team's dismal showing at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, where they were beaten by Tunisia in the round of sixteen.
The likes of Victor Osimhen and Terem Moffi who have been firing on all cylinders this season will not be showcasing their talents at the World Cup.
Pinnick has sensationally claimed that the in-form Napoli striker would have lit up the 2022 World Cup just as Diego Maradona did 36 years ago in Mexico,
Speaking to Arise News, Pinnick said : "There's no day that passes that I don't regret Nigeria not being in this tournament because trust me this would have been our tournament.
"Osimhen would have been like what Maradona was in 1986 in that World Cup.
"We can only pray and work towards the next World Cup. I told them we want an African team to win it but if they don't Nigeria will be the first to win it in the next World Cup. "
Senegal and Morocco are already through to the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup and they could be joined by the Indomitable Lions and Black Stars on Friday if results go their way.
Ifeanyi Emmanuel
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