By Osayande Ero
The Super Eagles B team’s shock exit from the 8th African Nations Championship (CHAN) has left fans, pundits, and stakeholders deeply frustrated. Their 4–0 defeat to Sudan on August 12, 2025, marked one of the lowest points in recent Nigerian football history and has sparked nationwide debate about the state of the sport in the country.
For a country still basking in the euphoria of back-to-back continental victories by her women teams – the Super Falcons footballers and the D’Tigress basketeers – the merciless walloping of the home-based Super Eagles B was killjoy.
In recent years, Nigeria’s sporting stage has told two very different stories. On one side stands the women’s teams, the Super Falcons in football and D’Tigress in basketball, consistently delivering continental dominance, global recognition, and moments of national pride. On the other, the men’s football teams, both senior and home-based, have endured a string of disappointments that have left fans disillusioned and questioning the state of the game.
The contrast could not be starker. While the women’s teams have lifted trophies, broken records, and been rewarded handsomely for their efforts, the men’s sides have stumbled from one underwhelming campaign to the next. This difference is not simply a matter of talent, but of mentality, preparation, and the willingness to adapt lessons the men could, and should, take from their female counterparts.
The most recent embarrassment came at the 8th African Nations Championship (CHAN), a tournament designed for home-based players. Nigeria’s Super Eagles B team entered the competition with cautious optimism but quickly fell apart. After a narrow 1-0 opening loss to Senegal, hopes were still alive, but they were brutally extinguished in Zanzibar with a 4–0 demolition at the hands of Sudan. The result marked one of Nigeria’s heaviest defeats in CHAN history, equaling the 2018 final loss to Morocco.
Head coach Éric Chelle’s post-match verdict was blunt: “Four mistakes, four goals. This is not about tactics alone, it’s about concentration and discipline. We must accept we were second-best in every department.” From a disastrous own goal to a penalty giveaway, to defensive lapses that gifted Sudan easy chances, the collapse was comprehensive. Player ratings told the same grim tale, with most of the squad earning below-average scores.
The exit triggered nationwide debate, with former Super Eagles striker Brown Ideye lamenting not just the performance, but the deeper rot in Nigerian football last-minute coaching appointments, poor domestic league management, and politics in team selection. The CHAN team’s shortcomings echoed the struggles of the main Super Eagles squad under José Peseiro, whose uninspiring performances in recent Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers suggested a worrying decline in competitive edge.
While the men falter, the women soar.
Take the Super Falcons. Against all odds, Nigeria’s senior women’s football team has continued to assert its dominance on the African continent and punch above its weight on the world stage. From winning the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations multiple times to impressive showings at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Falcons have become a beacon of consistency. Their discipline, resilience, and unity have allowed them to thrive even when faced with logistical challenges and uneven support.
Their reward? Not just national adoration, but tangible recognition. Following recent continental successes, the Super Falcons received financial incentives, public praise from top government officials, and an outpouring of corporate sponsorship interest. The government’s acknowledgment of their contributions has reinforced their status as a source of national pride.
And then there is D’Tigress, Nigeria’s all-conquering women’s basketball team. Their recent triumph at the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket was nothing short of historic. Sweeping aside opponents with skill, composure, and tactical brilliance, D’Tigress clinched yet another continental crown, cementing their place as Africa’s most dominant female basketball side.
The government’s response was immediate and emphatic. In a grand reception in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu announced cash rewards, housing allocations in choice estates, and national honors for every player and coach. It was a gesture not only of gratitude but of respect and a public statement that excellence will be celebrated and rewarded. The players, in turn, spoke of the pride they felt in representing Nigeria, attributing their success to a winning culture that values preparation, teamwork, and mental toughness.
Herein lie the lessons for the men. The women’s teams have shown that sustained success is no accident. It is built on a foundation of commitment, adaptability and unity, qualities that have too often been missing in the men’s games in recent years. The Super Falcons and D’Tigress have also embraced the responsibility of representing Nigeria with dignity, often putting aside off-field challenges to deliver on the court and pitch.
In contrast, the men’s teams have struggled to find that same cohesion. Whether in the CHAN squad’s lack of discipline against Sudan or the senior team’s inability to break down stubborn opponents, the gap in mentality is evident. The women play with a hunger to prove themselves, perhaps sharpened by years of underestimation in a male-dominated sporting culture. That hunger translates into work rate, focus, and a refusal to capitulate under pressure.
For the men, the path forward requires more than tactical tweaks. It demands a cultural shift; one that prioritises preparation, rewards, merit over politics, and builds a genuine team identity. The NPFL must be strengthened to provide home-based players with competitive match experience, proper fitness conditioning, and modern training facilities. Coaches must be given adequate time to mold their squads, and players must take personal responsibility for their performance and discipline.
There is also a psychological dimension. The CHAN defeat to Sudan was as much a mental collapse as a tactical one. By contrast, when D’Tigress faced difficult moments in the AfroBasket such as a narrow semifinal where they trailed in the third quarter they regrouped, adjusted their strategy, and came back stronger. The Super Falcons, too, have shown this resilience repeatedly, turning around matches that seemed lost through sheer determination.
The men’s teams would do well to study not just the women’s technical play, but their mentality. Watching D’Tigress lift their trophy while receiving national awards, or the Falcons standing tall at the podium after another continental win, should ignite competitive pride. These are their compatriots, representing the same flag, proving that Nigerian teams can be world-class when the right approach is taken.
And the rewards are not abstract. The women’s teams have shown that excellence leads to tangible benefits, not only personal accolades but nationwide respect, government backing, and the chance to leave a legacy. If that does not motivate the men to rise above mediocrity, nothing will.
It is not about creating rivalry between genders but about recognising a winning formula when it is in plain sight. The women have set the standard. Now the men must match it.
If Nigerian football and basketball are to reclaim consistent dominance across the board, the men’s teams must embrace the same virtues that drive the women: discipline, preparation, unity, and hunger. Without them, the gap will only widen, and the nation’s sporting glory will continue to be carried almost entirely by its queens of sport.
In the end, success leaves clues. The Falcons and D’Tigress have left a trail of them. The question is whether the Super Eagles and their home-based counterparts are willing to follow.