By Our Reporter
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – Former federal lawmaker that represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District and human rights activist, Shehu Sani has described the elimination of Senegal from the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a major setback for Sub-Saharan Africa, urging African football authorities to rethink their strategies to enable the continent compete more effectively on the global stage.
Reacting to Senegal’s exit from the tournament, Sani said the country’s elimination represents more than the loss of a single national team, arguing that it diminishes Africa’s presence and hopes in the competition.
“The eviction of Senegal out of the World Cup is a big loss for Sub-Saharan Africa,” he said.
While acknowledging the abundance of football talent across the continent, the former lawmaker lamented that African nations have consistently struggled to translate individual brilliance into collective success at major international tournaments.
According to him, Africa possesses world-class players who excel in Europe’s top leagues, but national teams have often failed to achieve comparable success due to structural and strategic shortcomings.
“We have great players in Africa but bad teams,” Sani remarked, suggesting that poor organization, inadequate planning, and weak football development systems have continued to hinder the continent’s progress.
He further argued that the global game should not remain the preserve of European and Latin American countries, which have historically dominated the FIFA World Cup.
“Football should not be dominated by Europeans and Latin Americans,” he stated.
Sani called on football administrators across Africa to undertake comprehensive reforms aimed at improving coaching standards, youth development, tactical discipline, infrastructure, and long-term planning.
“We must reset our football strategy and break that jinx,” he added.
His remarks come amid renewed debate over Africa’s performance at the ongoing World Cup, with football enthusiasts and analysts calling for deeper reforms to enable African teams consistently challenge for football’s biggest prize.
Despite producing some of the world’s finest footballers over the decades, no African nation has reached the World Cup final, with the continent’s best performances remaining quarter-final appearances by Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002, Ghana in 2010, and Morocco’s historic semi-final run at the 2022 tournament. Sani’s comments add to growing calls for African football governing bodies to invest more heavily in grassroots development, coaching, and sustainable football structures capable of transforming individual talent into world-class national teams.
