Former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) chief Amaju Pinnick has disclosed that the federation and the National Sports Council are working assiduously towards the Super Eagles' World Cup qualification.
According to Pinnick, while the Sports Council cannot conjure any magic to seal the World Cup ticket, it will do whatever it takes to ensure Nigeria's qualification for the Mundial.
Pinnick disclosed this in an exclusive interview on Arise TV Morning Show on Thursday, October 9.
"We are working with the National Sports Commission, and we are working with the federation. The National Sports Council is having sleepless nights on it, and they are in alignment with me. It is not as if we can do any magic, but whatever is possible, we will definitely do.
"I will take you back to Saudi — we were going down, but we came back and we won. We got to the semifinals, and even the Olympics in 1996, where everybody thought it would be Argentina, Brazil, the big names — but we ended up winning."
He added that Nigeria's failure to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup was one of his lowest moments.
"You see, when we don't believe in Nigeria, we come up. One of my lowest points today is when Nigeria did not qualify for the [2022] World Cup — and we prepared, myself and the then Honourable Minister [of Sport]. At the end of the day, they gave Nigeria a 90 percent possibility, while Ghana was less than 10 percent — but it's football."
Nigeria will take on Lesotho and Benin Republic in their last two World Cup qualifier matches on Friday, October 10 and Tuesday, October 14 respectively.
WDN
