Former Super Eagles midfielder Seyi Olofinjana has expressed disappointment over his omission from Nigeria’s squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
16 years after, he lamented that he was never told why he was left out despite playing a key role in the qualifying campaign.
PUNCH Online reports that at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the Super Eagles were managed by Swedish head coach Lars Lagerbäck, while legendary forward Nwankwo Kanu served as the team’s official squad captain while it was Joseph Yobo mostly in the group stage matches as assistant.
Olofinjana, who earned 48 caps for Nigeria between 2000 and 2011, said the omission was particularly difficult to understand because he had featured in all the qualifiers and captained the national team in several of the matches.
Speaking on the PlayZone podcast published Tuesday, the former Hull City midfielder said neither the coaching staff nor the Nigeria Football Federation contacted him to explain the decision.
PlayZone podcast is a Nigerian sports and culture show hosted by veteran broadcast journalist Charles Anazodo.
PUNCH Online reports that Nigeria has made six appearances at the FIFA World Cup since making a memorable debut in 1994, though the nation has failed to qualify for the last two tournaments in 2022 and 2026.
The Super Eagles achieved their best performances by reaching the Round of 16 on three separate occasions—during their initial campaign at USA ’94, followed by France ’98, and most recently at Brazil 2014.
Olofinjana said, “2010 would have been my World Cup. I played all the qualifiers, in fact, I captained half of them, and to this day, no one has informed me why I wasn’t chosen.
“I did not receive a single phone call from anyone. Not from players, not from staff. I shouldn’t have to inquire.”
While acknowledging that no player has an automatic right to a place in the national team, the former Stoke City midfielder said he expected communication after his contribution to the qualifying campaign.
“It reflects on the culture; if someone is deemed capable of leading a nation of 250 million people, not just once but multiple times during the qualifiers for the World Cup, and then is simply overlooked, I won’t question it,” he continued.
“There is no divine right for anyone to be chosen for the Super Eagles. Selections are made based on merit. Just because I have accomplished all of that does not automatically mean I am deemed worthy. However, there should have been an explanation.”
Olofinjana also reflected on the significance of representing Nigeria, saying he always considered playing for the national team a privilege.
“Whenever Nigeria is engaged in a match, whether friendly or competitive, I ensure my presence because, for me, it transcended mere street football; I was playing for Nigeria.
“And it held significance every single time I donned the Nigerian colors, green, white, green; I wore them with great pride,” he added.
