Twenty four hours after an Abuja High Court declared the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF-led by Alhaji Aminu Maigari and the Nigeria Premier League, NPL led by controversial ex-Bayelsa United Football Club Chairman, Victor Rumson Baribote illegal, ex-coach of the Teranga Lions of Senegal, Claude Le Roy has blamed instability in the management of Nigerian football for the country’s absence at the Nations Cup.

The Super Eagles, seven-time champions, Egypt and Cameroon are the biggest absentees at the 2012 Nations Cup in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Guinea upset star-studded Nigeria to qualify for the tournament from a group that also included Ethiopia and Madagascar.

Coach Steven Keshil training the Super Eagles in Abuja.

“I have always seen Nigeria as an incredible waste of talent. They have the potentials to be the first African world champions, but they have not been able to organise themselves to move ahead,” said Le Roy, who at a time was linked with Nigeria’s top coaching post.

“Nigeria is a huge football country but the instability in the running of the game has meant results have not been very good.

“It is not an accident that the top three, four teams for the 2012 Nations Cup enjoy relative stability in their football – Ghana, Senegal and Morocco.”

The French coach, who also handled Cameroon and DR Congo, said he was less surprised with the failure of Egypt to qualify for the Nations Cup because “the signs were there to see that they were a fading power”.

Le Roy’s favourites for this year’s AFCON are Ghana, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire and Morocco, while his dark horses are Burkina Faso, Zambia, Tunisia and Gabon.

Newcastle striker Demba Ba (Senegal), Andre Ayew (Ghana), Moussa Maazou (Niger) and Pitriopa (Burkina Faso) will be his picks to shine at the biennial tournament.