₦airaland Forum

QueenJazz:
ME: Nigeria can't host the AFCON now

FOOTBALL PUNDIT: What do you mean?! We've hosted tournaments in the 80s and in the 90s

ME: True. But look at our infrastructure and football pitches. Our government isn't even taking any action to developing them right now. We need to improve. Our past is good doesn't mean our present can't be better.

FOOTBALL PUNDIT: It doesn't matter! You don't know what you are saying! You don't know football! You're delusional! You don't have sense!

No problem. I was very foolish to even embark on this conversation. You'll never hear it from me again.

We hosted the u-17 World Cup in 2009

If our insecurity gets sorted Nigeria will start hosting global soccer events again. It has nothing to do with infrastructure dear

Gen Zs who hate True History Lessons. "2025 Recency-only" full their eyes and that is all they know and run with. Very reactive pseudointellectuals. Lol

Goke7:
Even Afcon 2000 we hosted I think was an afterthought after another country failed to host. After successfully hosting u-20 World Cup in 1999 it was so easy for Nigeria to step in.

Make Una no vex Gen Z’s too full this thread now 😂

QueenJazz:
Semid4lyfe, Dominique et al why cant I receive a link to deactivate my account? Abeg oo. Let me leave football for the pundits and scholars and professionals abeg.

Please calm down. All these would blow over in a few days time when we kick off against Tanzania. But just trust some of us see your points cause I see no need for chronic patriotism if we're currently deficient in several areas. This is not 2000, this is not 2009 we are in 2025 and if CAF can snub us to give Kenya Uganda and Tanzania 2027 hosting rights under the guise of a new rotational policy then you'll know they are indirectly telling us to fix up

What are you even saying!

You're making the point for us that it is simply a matter of political will

QueenJazz:
Development aesthetics and tournament hosting capacity are not the same.

Ikeja is more developed than Yaounde. No problem.

Okay then, so how come they were able to complete stadium, construction, coordinated logistics, and delivered AFCON 2021 despite their limitations?

Meanwhile, how many bids have we submitted to host tournaments in the last 10 years and how many of them have we been able to meet the global standards or requirements?

We don't even have consistent electricity to sustain us during events.

Let's not even enter security

It's not about overall development level but about ability to execute specific projects competently.

Cameroon is a 7th World country but they were able to mobilize resources, meet deadlines, and host successfully. With all our superior resources and infrastructure, our institutional dysfunction cannot allow us to deliver what they delivered.

Are y'all really this thick not to see the point here?

Goke7:
We hosted the u-17 World Cup in 2009

If our insecurity gets sorted Nigeria will start hosting global soccer events again. It has nothing to do with infrastructure dear

Please name one functioning stadium we have presently besides the one in Uyo.

If you can't, show us the plans we're making to get those things in place before 2030 at least.

You're guilty of exactly the same thing you're diagnosing in others.

What does "Cameroon has functioning system" even mean!

QueenJazz:
True. In 2019 they weren't ready. Then they put things in order and hosted the tournament in 2021. If anything, you're proving my point.

I'm starting to realize that people on this thread are fundamentally incapable of looking at issues in non-binary fashion. I never said Cameroon is perfect (although I know people who don't know better will latch onto that red herring to pretend they're being reasonable).

Ah but what do I know? I must be a fool for expecting better from my own country.

Danielnino00:
I hope you're aware that Cameroon were originally scheduled to host the 2019 AFCON but that right was stripped from them and given to Egypt because they were not ready..
Cus I don't understand this one that you're trying to make them look like a more serious country than us

You sef de see the exaggeration. Irritating part is she is talking about her nerves when she's serving gba takes

QueenJazz:
Semid4lyfe, Dominique et al why cant I receive a link to deactivate my account? Abeg oo. Let me leave football for the pundits and scholars and professionals abeg.

Where u Dey go…if I give u decking , u will
Faint 😏, come back here ,we must c through the qualification of eagles to 2026 World Cup till d end 😎

The argument is very simple actually: let's not keep dreaming about the past, let's focus on the present. I don't see anything wrong with this presentation that people in this thread are falling over themselves for.

QueenJazz:
Semid4lyfe, Dominique et al why cant I receive a link to deactivate my account? Abeg oo. Let me leave football for the pundits and scholars and professionals abeg.

Nobody wins a trophy here for any argument if folks see a hole in you trying to state some facts it’s the same right you’re using to expressing that view they are also using to puncture those views and that does not warrant deactivation of account

We’ve all been arguing about that Congo matter for days now and no one on both sides of the argument have suggested deactivating their account. Just calm down, breathe and enjoy the game of football

Torrrr

Danielnino00:
You're getting ahead of yourself..
You clearly tried to make Cameroon look like some serious country....their inability to host the 2019 edition led to CAF literally begging other countries to take the mantle... countries that had no prior plans to host it.....it was a colossal embarrassment..


And again, you're hardly the first person to be very critical of our football sector and indeed the situation of the country.... But there are times when we have to be truthful...and the truth in this case is that, if Nigeria gets the AFCON hosting rights today, we will host it properly....

Kilishihunter:
Please calm down. All these would blow over in a few days time when we kick off against Tanzania. But just trust some of us see your points cause I see no need for chronic patriotism if we're currently deficient in several areas. This is not 2000, this is not 2009 we are in 2025 and if CAF can snub us to give Kenya Uganda and Tanzania 2027 hosting rights under the guise of a new rotational policy then you'll know they are indirectly telling us to fix up

I think people in this thread are being unnecessarily harsh on the lady. She posited a very poignant argument.

Premise 1: If political will alone were sufficient for hosting tournaments, then countries with declared intentions and allocated budgets would successfully host.

Premise 2: Nigeria has repeatedly declared intentions and allocated budgets for major projects (including stadiums and infrastructure) but has failed to complete them.

Conclusion: Therefore, the critical factor is not political will or available resources, but institutional capacity for execution, which Nigeria currently lacks

Is this your argument, QueenJazz?

Torrrr

Goke7:
Nobody wins a trophy here for any argument if folks see a hole in you trying to state some facts it’s the same right you’re using to expressing that view they are also using to puncture those views and that does not warrant deactivation of account

We’ve all been arguing about that Congo matter for days now and no one on both sides of the argument have suggested deactivating their account. Just calm down, breathe and enjoy the game of football

NasirIbnLaAhad:
Please name one functioning stadium we have presently besides the one in Uyo.

If you can't, show us the plans we're making to get those things in place before 2030 at least.

Is there any plan to host any tournament now with the insecurity going on in the country right now. Is hosting a priority now?

Meanwhile states governments like kaduna rivers and others are upgrading their stadiums if you’re asking about plans

You don't yet see you're making the point that it's merely a will problem.

There's nothing extraordinary to do in our infrastructure that is needed to host an AFCON.

NasirIbnLaAhad:
Please name one functioning stadium we have presently besides the one in Uyo.

If you can't, show us the plans we're making to get those things in place before 2030 at least.

Hosting AFCON for Nigeria in recent years has been more a case of priority than capacity.

If Nigeria is chosen to host in 2-4 years time I have no doubt it can be done so far the funds are made available.

Today apart from the stadiums in Abuja and Uyo we still have 4 stadiums that can be renovated to get up to standard. The one in Abeokuta, Teslim in Lagos, the one in Benin city and another in Rivers. Fix the pitches, dressing rooms and you're good to go.

For me personally the reason why I think we haven't hosted is that it's not politically expedient to spend money on a tournament when the economy isn't great where millions of people are living below the poverty line.

Morocco we are using as example people in the country there seriously protested the standard of living months ago.

QueenJazz:
ME: Nigeria can't host the AFCON now

FOOTBALL PUNDIT: What do you mean?! We've hosted tournaments in the 80s and in the 90s

ME: True. But look at our infrastructure and football pitches. Our government isn't even taking any action to developing them right now. We need to improve. Our past is good doesn't mean our present can't be better.

FOOTBALL PUNDIT: It doesn't matter! You don't know what you are saying! You don't know football! You're delusional! You don't have sense!

No problem. I was very foolish to even embark on this conversation. You'll never hear it from me again.

Goke7:
Is there any plan to host any tournament now with the insecurity going on in the country right now. Is hosting a priority now?

Meanwhile states governments like kaduna rivers and others are upgrading their stadiums if you’re asking about plans

I believe this supports the argument she's making. The question wasn't whether hosting is currently a priority but whether we can host if we wanted to, which you've essentially confirmed we can't due to insecurity and insufficient infrastructure. States upgrading stadiums is positive, but tournaments like the AFCON require multiple world-class venues, coordinated security, reliable power, and logistical capacity across regions. Individual state efforts don't equal tournament-ready national infrastructure.

So it comes down to what she said earlier: we currently cannot host major tournaments at the moment.

Her nerves must have been stinged indeed coz she ran to the block button which is funny to me as it actually saves me the stress of reading more nonsense from her at this point.
By January 12, I will reinitiate the block myself. This 3wks block should be made permanent tbh. Lol

Odunayaw:
You sef de see the exaggeration. Irritating part is she is talking about her nerves when she's serving gba takes

NasirIbnLaAhad:
I believe this supports the argument she's making. The question wasn't whether hosting is currently a priority but whether we can host if we wanted to, which you've essentially confirmed we can't due to insecurity and insufficient infrastructure. States upgrading stadiums is positive, but tournaments like the AFCON require multiple world-class venues, coordinated security, reliable power, and logistical capacity across regions. Individual state efforts don't equal tournament-ready national infrastructure.

So it comes down to what she said earlier: we currently cannot host major tournaments at the moment.

The fact we have hosted before does mean infrastructure is never a problem cos how did we host in the past without having infrastructure. What is Afcon that Nigeria can’t host, na wa for Una o.

Insecurity is the problem not infrastructure. How long will it take get those stadiums ready. Even the country slated to host the World Cup in 2030 do you think their stadiums are ready?

Please in all that we do let’s stop the lies against Nigeria.

NasirIbnLaAhad:
I think people in this thread are being unnecessarily harsh on the lady. She posited a very poignant argument.

Premise 1: If political will alone were sufficient for hosting tournaments, then countries with declared intentions and allocated budgets would successfully host.

Premise 2: Nigeria has repeatedly declared intentions and allocated budgets for major projects (including stadiums and infrastructure) but has failed to complete them.

Conclusion: Therefore, the critical factor is not political will or available resources, but institutional capacity for execution, which Nigeria currently lacks

Is this your argument, QueenJazz?

What does "institutional capacity" mean? And show it in the example of Cameroon

Odunayaw:
You don't yet see you're making the point that it's merely a will problem.

There's nothing extraordinary to do in our infrastructure that is needed to host an AFCON.

If it's merely a will problem, why do state stadium upgrades repeatedly stall or produce substandard results? AFCON requires: multiple CAF-standard stadiums, consistent electricity during matches, coordinated multi-state security, functional transportation networks, reliable telecommunications, and proper accommodations. We've had political will declarations for decades. What we lack is the institutional competence, accountability structures, and anti-corruption frameworks to translate will into completed, functional infrastructure. That's not a will problem but a systemic capacity problem.

You're spot on.

Many states have physical infrastructure on ground.

Apart from the stadia I listed in my previous post there's also the Enugu stadium, Katsina stadium, Kano Pillars stadium and Jos township(not sure if it's finished). Adamasigba in Ibadan also comes to mind. Read in some news circles recently that the Kaduna State government is rebuilding their stadium.

Odunayaw:
You don't yet see you're making the point that it's merely a will problem.

There's nothing extraordinary to do in our infrastructure that is needed to host an AFCON.

chrisooblog:
Hosting AFCON for Nigeria in recent years has been more a case of priority than capacity.

If Nigeria is chosen to host in 2-4 years time I have no doubt it can be done so far the funds are made available.

Today apart from the stadiums in Abuja and Uyo we still have 4 stadiums that can be renovated to get up to standard. The one in Abeokuta, Teslim in Lagos, the one in Benin city and another in Rivers. Fix the pitches, dressing rooms and you're good to go.

For me personally the reason why I think we haven't hosted is that it's not politically expedient to spend money on a tournament when the economy isn't great where millions of people are living below the poverty line.

Morocco we are using as example people in the country there seriously protested the standard of living months ago.

It’s a big insult to say Nigeria can’t host Afcon. Real bullshit

NasirIbnLaAhad:
I believe this supports the argument she's making. The question wasn't whether hosting is currently a priority but whether we can host if we wanted to, which you've essentially confirmed we can't due to insecurity and insufficient infrastructure. States upgrading stadiums is positive, but tournaments like the AFCON require multiple world-class venues, coordinated security, reliable power, and logistical capacity across regions. Individual state efforts don't equal tournament-ready national infrastructure.

So it comes down to what she said earlier: we currently cannot host major tournaments at the moment.

AFCON ke

NasirIbnLaAhad:
If it's merely a will problem, why do state stadium upgrades repeatedly stall or produce substandard results? AFCON requires: multiple CAF-standard stadiums, consistent electricity during matches, coordinated multi-state security, functional transportation networks, reliable telecommunications, and proper accommodations. We've had political will declarations for decades. What we lack is the institutional competence, accountability structures, and anti-corruption frameworks to translate will into completed, functional infrastructure. That's not a will problem but a systemic capacity problem.

Something we have hosted before we now lack institutional competence or capacity? Oh my

Goke7:
The fact we have hosted before does mean infrastructure is never a problem cos how did we host in the past without having infrastructure. What is Afcon that Nigeria can’t host, na wa for Una o.

Insecurity is the problem not infrastructure. How long will it take get those stadiums ready. Even the country slated to host the World Cup in 2030 do you think their stadiums are ready?

Please in all that we do let’s stop the lies against Nigeria.

Yes, we hosted successfully in the past. That's exactly the point: we HAD functional infrastructure then that we've allowed to decay catastrophically. Infrastructure isn't static. It requires maintenance, upgrades, and renewal. And frequently. The facilities that worked in 1980 and 2000 have crumbled through decades of neglect.

I posed a simple request earlier: Show me Nigeria's equivalent plans. Where are our active stadium construction projects with realistic timelines? Which facilities are currently being upgraded to CAF standards? What's our security coordination framework?

You mention insecurity as if it proves my point wrong when it actually reinforces it. Insecurity IS infrastructure. It's institutional infrastructure: functioning security services, intelligence coordination, rapid response capabilities. Our inability to guarantee safety at major events is another symptom of the same systemic dysfunction affecting physical infrastructure. "How long will it take to get stadiums ready?" is exactly what I'm asking YOU. The National Stadium Abuja is in shambles today because our systems are broken. We don't know how to maintain infrastructure.

The problem is some of you folks want to be sentimental and pretend everything is fine and we could host tomorrow if we just "wanted to." That delusion prevents us from addressing the actual problems. Acknowledging our current incapacity is the first step toward actually fixing things. Patriotism without accountability is just going to flatline any reasonable progress.

Even hosting if we wanted to is possible.

In 2009 at the height of the Niger-Delta militancy issue we still hosted the u17s.

To be fair that's different from terrorism and CAF may not want to put qualified countries at risk unless we decide to host all the games in Southern Nigeria plus Abuja.

NasirIbnLaAhad:
I believe this supports the argument she's making. The question wasn't whether hosting is currently a priority but whether we can host if we wanted to, which you've essentially confirmed we can't due to insecurity and insufficient infrastructure. States upgrading stadiums is positive, but tournaments like the AFCON require multiple world-class venues, coordinated security, reliable power, and logistical capacity across regions. Individual state efforts don't equal tournament-ready national infrastructure.

So it comes down to what she said earlier: we currently cannot host major tournaments at the moment.

Chrisooblog, well said ooo. Moroccan citizens protested so bitterly that the attention on football is too much while their standard of living and educational quality were taking huge hits. It was not funny.

Just as recently as last 2 weeks, more disaster struck in the moroccan coastal town of Safi killing dozens of people "thanks" to Total Energies' fossil fuel presence in those lands. Same french company that sponsors the Afcon and CAF as a whole. They are trying to close it up and look like all is okay in Morocco. Omo, it is not ooo.... CAF and Moroccan Authorities made no concrete comments on the latest tragedy sef.

NasirIbnLaAhad:
If it's merely a will problem, why do state stadium upgrades repeatedly stall or produce substandard results? AFCON requires: multiple CAF-standard stadiums, consistent electricity during matches, coordinated multi-state security, functional transportation networks, reliable telecommunications, and proper accommodations. We've had political will declarations for decades. What we lack is the institutional competence, accountability structures, and anti-corruption frameworks to translate will into completed, functional infrastructure. That's not a will problem but a systemic capacity problem.

And we had all this in all the tournaments we hosted this century abi? 😁

Can Nigeria host AFCON?

The basic infrastructure already exists. Stadiums, training pitches. hotels, major roads, airports etc can be renovated/refurbished and brought up to the required standard.

Experience boku. Pedigree dey overflow. We've hosted global competitions before and can always rely on the experience garnered. All Africa Games, U-17 World Cup, U-20 World Cup, AFCON etc.

(In)Security-wise, it can be localized to the South and Abuja.

Tournament logistics na easy peasy and we go run am smoothly.

Huge football-crazy population and social media pull so massive TV viewership numbers and online engagements is guaranteed.

etc etc.

Nigeria’s ability to host AFCON rests on capacity, and I believe we have this in abundance.

NasirIbnLaAhad:
Yes, we hosted successfully in the past. That's exactly the point: we HAD functional infrastructure then that we've allowed to decay catastrophically. Infrastructure isn't static. It requires maintenance, upgrades, and renewal. And frequently. The facilities that worked in 1980 and 2000 have crumbled through decades of neglect.

I posed a simple request earlier: Show me Nigeria's equivalent plans. Where are our active stadium construction projects with realistic timelines? Which facilities are currently being upgraded to CAF standards? What's our security coordination framework?

You mention insecurity as if it proves my point wrong when it actually reinforces it. Insecurity IS infrastructure. It's institutional infrastructure: functioning security services, intelligence coordination, rapid response capabilities. Our inability to guarantee safety at major events is another symptom of the same systemic dysfunction affecting physical infrastructure. "How long will it take to get stadiums ready?" is exactly what I'm asking YOU. The National Stadium Abuja is in shambles today because our systems are broken. We don't know how to maintain infrastructure.

The problem is some of you folks want to be sentimental and pretend everything is fine and we could host tomorrow if we just "wanted to." That delusion prevents us from addressing the actual problems. Acknowledging our current incapacity is the first step toward actually fixing things. Patriotism without accountability is just going to flatline any reasonable progress.

You’re the one that is sentimental cos the facts I and others have been presenting here is puncturing all the false narratives you and others want to paint here. Even America hosting the World Cup has more insecurity issues than Nigeria and yes more people in the US die yearly due to insecurity than Nigeria but Una no go see that one cos Nigeria must be dragged in the mud whether we have stadiums or not.

Do we have capacity? O yes, do we have ongoing sports facilities construction going on, oh yes, is Nigeria trying to fix it’s security problems oh yes what else again do you want. An answer that nothing is working and cannot work. Plssssss

chrisooblog:
You're spot on.

Many states have physical infrastructure on ground.

Apart from the stadia I listed in my previous post there's also the Enugu stadium, Katsina stadium, Kano Pillars stadium and Jos township(not sure if it's finished). Adamasigba in Ibadan also comes to mind. Read in some news circles recently that the Kaduna State government is rebuilding their stadium.

I don't even understand the doubling down. Nigeria was bidding for Commonwealth games very recently o.

AFCON is what these guys are exaggerating!?