'Eagles can’t afford to miss 2022 World Cup'

Nigeria Football Federation President, Amaju Pinnick, has stated that it will be suicidal for the Super Eagles not to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

Pinnick in an interview on Channels TV’s Sports This Morning called on Nigerians to come together and help bring about tranquility to the federation and ignore all distractions which engulfed the NFF last year.

The federation has been rocked with crisis with several members of the NFF executive board under investigation for corruption.

Pinnick also attributed those issues to political move which he believed were meant to destroy the country’s football.

“I want to appeal to Nigerians because this year is a very critical year for Nigeria football,” Pinnick said in an interview on Channels TV.

“Nigeria cannot afford not to go to the World Cup, it will be suicidal because we are used to going to the World Cup. It is going to be very bad.

“So, this constant distraction, petition and the rest, I want to appeal to Nigerians because they know that these are politics and it’s not what they think.

“It is purely destructive and annihilating. The assumption is if we cannot have, then let us destroy it.”

The Eagles of Nigeria are in Pot 1 for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers ahead of the main draws on January 21, 2020, in Cairo, Egypt.