Dalung blames corruption, impunity for Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup failure

Former Sports Minister Solomon Dalung says Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is the result of decades of corruption, impunity and poor governance in the country’s football administration.

Nigeria missed out on the tournament after losing to DR Congo in a sudden-death penalty shootout during the Intercontinental Playoff in Rabat on Sunday.

Speaking on Monday, Dalung said the rot in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has persisted for years because entrenched interests block reforms.

He recalled witnessing financial misconduct and disputes over unpaid bonuses as far back as 2002, long before he became minister in 2015.

Dalung said attempts to hold officials accountable were often labelled “ministerial interference”, with some administrators allegedly petitioning FIFA to undermine reform efforts.

A technical committee he set up later identified corruption, unpaid allowances, nepotism and lack of transparency as the core problems.

He said the committee even recommended that Nigeria withdraw from global football for six months and request a FIFA normalisation committee, but the proposal collapsed after President Buhari fell ill and the Presidency disowned the ministry’s report.

Dalung described the development as a win for corruption, arguing that Nigeria’s repeated failure to qualify for the World Cup since 2018 shows that the system has remained unchanged.

He called for bold reforms and stronger political will to rescue Nigerian football from what he termed “the ghosts of corruption and impunity.”