By Onochie Anibeze
One time Nigeria Football Association Chairman, Alhaji Yusuf Ali has expressed fears over Nigeria’s qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

“World Cup? I’m not sure we will qualify. They need to find peace in our football for us to move on. There are disputes here and there. No peace, no progress,”Ali said yesterday in a telephone chat.

He was a highly respected football official and a friend of FIFA President, Sepp Blatter. In his time, the job of chairman of the FA was not a full time one. He doubled as FA chairman and Managing Director of Unipetrol, now Oando.

The secretariat was in charge of daily administration of football and he had both a dynamic secretariat and a board with men of character and comfort.

The picture is totally different now. Ali always pleaded with members to accompany teams out on international assignments. Now, members lobby for trips.

‘’I’m not sure we will qualify for the World Cup with the way we are going. The players will always come but they may not give their best. The atmosphere may not be good with all the bickering going on now.”

Ali then analyzed the team technically.

“ I watched all the Nations Cup matches and I think that our victory at the Nations Cup was a fluke. We haven’t got a solid team yet.

Cast your mind back to the first two matches of the Nations Cup and even the difficult match against Ethiopia and you would understand better when I say our victory was a fluke.

Something dramatic happened and we surged on to win the Nations Cup. Teams that are not consistent don’t experience such drama all the time. We don’t have a consistent team yet.

That’s why the Eagles were a sorry sight against Kenya. Their performance against Kenya was similar to what we saw in their first two or three matches at the Nations Cup in South Africa.

That’s why I feel that the Nations Cup victory was a fluke. I’ll be happy if they can prove me wrong, qualify for the World Cup and go to Brazil and do well.”