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The Super Eagles are not in Qatar, but who are the biggest losers from their absence?
The FIFA 2022 World Cup is fully underway in Qatar, with the hosts kicking off against Ecuador on Sunday evening. However, the tournament has a different feel for Nigerians after the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the event.
The three-time African champions will watch the event on their TV after they lost to Ghana on away goals rule in the playoffs. The Super Eagles played out a goalless draw in Kumasi but were held to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in Abuja, meaning the Black Stars progressed on away goals rule.
The team's failure to qualify for the biggest sporting competition in the world is a big blow, but some will feel the effect more than others. Pulse Sports Nigeria takes a look at the biggest losers from Nigeria's failure to qualify for the World Cup.
Victor Osimhen
Obviously, failing to qualify for the World Cup is a big miss for all the players, but it is more disappointing for Osimhen, considering his form this season.
The 23-year-old has been in outstanding form for Napoli this season, with ten goals and three assists in 14 games. Osimhen currently leads the scorers' chart in the Italian Serie A this season, scoring nine in ten matches despite missing almost a month due to injury.
With this year's World Cup taking place in the middle of the season, it is really disappointing that Osimhen will not get the chance to showcase his quality on the biggest stage.
While Osimhen could still get to play at the World Cup if Nigeria qualify for the event in 2026, it is not a guarantee as he could be injured or out of form then, which is why it is disappointing to see him miss out on Qatar.
NFF
Although the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is solely to blame for the Super Eagles' failure to qualify, the organisation will still feel the effect of it, especially financially.
Nigeria's failure to qualify for the showpiece in Qatar means the NFF missed out on a whopping sum of money.
Every country that qualified for the tournament received a sum of N657 million ($1.5 million) from FIFA even before the competition started.
This money was given to these countries to serve as preparation costs. Also, The amount increases depending on how far a team goes in the competition.
But Nigeria's failure to qualify means the NFF missed out on the World Cup largesse.
Austin Eguavoen
Eguavoen fumbled two golden opportunities this year alone. He was in charge of Nigeria's ill-fated Africa Cup of Nations campaign, which saw the country crash out in the round of 16.
Despite his failure, he kept his job for the playoffs. However, he missed the chance to redeem himself, which eventually cost him his job.
But it would not have been the case had he managed to achieve victory. His failure to get more out of the players meant he missed the chance to become the third indigenous coach to manage Nigeria at the World Cup.
Fans
Although Nigerians will still watch the competitions, it is disappointing for the fans not to see the Super Eagles in Qatar despite our bilateral relationship with the hosts (Ask Pinnick).
Nigerians always bring great energy to every major international competition, but unfortunately, there will not be the sounds of 'paranparan' in Qatar.
The Jersey
The Super Eagles have gained a reputation for their beautiful jerseys over the years, but their jersey will not feature in Qatar this year.
In 2018, Nigeria's jersey made a splash just before the World Cup. It was one of the fastest-selling jerseys in 2018, with fans from other countries buying it.
Nigeria have another beautiful jersey this year, but sadly the three-time African champions' failure to qualify for the World Cup means we will not see the green-white green in Qatar.
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