Southern Africa: S'african Sports Minister Wishes Nigeria Not to Qualify for World Cup

19 October 2025
This Day (Lagos)
By Duro Ikhazuagbe

South African Sports Minister, Gayton McKenzie, is wishing Nigeria's Super Eagles not to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup through the playoffs starting with the African round next month in Morocco.

Speaking on Marawa Sports Worldwideanchored by influential South African sports journalist, Robert Marawa, McKenzie insisted that he would rather see another African team pick one of the two tickets on offer from the final playoffs and not Nigeria.

McKenzie remains very bitter by what he called Nigeria's "behind the scene" moves that led FIFA to duck South Africa three points and three goals for fielding an ineligible Teboho Mokoena against Lesotho in a World Cup qualifier last March.

The Sports Minister didn't appreciate the fact that it was Nigeria's 4-0 victory over leaders Benin Republic in the last match in Uyo last Tuesday that paved the way for South Africa to come from behind to pick the only Group C ticket to the World Cup. Bafana Bafana's 3-0 defeat of Rwanda would have been useless had Eagles allowed Benin to win by any margin.

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"I want to make it very clear: I wish for the (Nigeria) not to qualify. I just want to make that one clear. They tried... I knew what they did behind the scenes for us not to get there (to the World Cup).

"I want them to lose. They must not go to the World Cup. Another African country must go," observed the South African minister whose compatriots sang appreciative songs in praise of Victor Osimhen who scored three of Nigeria's four goals against Benin.

When asked if he has a disdain for Nigeria, McKenzie replied: "No, It's not that. I give you the energy you give me. They don't like us, we don't like them. And it's not personal."

Super Eagles advanced to the African playoffs as one of the four best-ranked runners-up across the nine groups. They will face Gabon on November 13 for a spot in the inter-confederation playoffs in Mexico March next year.

McKenzie is praying that the Panthers will come out on top as he wants the NFF to pay for the role it played in Bafana Bafana's sanction.

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