By Dorcas Francis Koji
Former Super Eagles captain Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha believes Nigeria’s national team has struggled to establish a genuine home advantage since Lagos stopped serving as the team’s regular home ground.
Okocha made the observation while reflecting on Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup during an appearance on the Obi One Podcast.
The former Bolton Wanderers midfielder recalled the Super Eagles’ decisive 1-1 draw with Angola in Kano during the final qualifying fixture and questioned the decision to stage such an important match outside Lagos.
According to Okocha, the conditions in Kano, including the heat and unfamiliar surroundings, made Nigerian players feel more like visitors than a home team.
“How can we be playing the last qualifying match if we know that if we win we will qualify? We took it to Kano, so imagine coming from London, from Chelsea, to go and play in Kano. The heat. So we were all like foreigners. So these are little things that they don’t understand,” Okocha said.
Nigeria briefly returned to Lagos for an international fixture in 2021, but the Super Eagles had not played a competitive match in the city since a 1-0 victory over Zambia in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in January 2001.
Okocha believes the absence of a consistent home venue has affected the national team, arguing that players need an environment where they feel comfortable and receive strong support from passionate supporters.
“Your players have to feel at home. They have to be comfortable. They must have a home ground. During our time, Lagos was our home ground. We were spitting fire here. But after Lagos, it’s like we don’t have a home.”
The former Nigeria international also questioned whether other venues have been able to reproduce the atmosphere Lagos once provided.
“You go to Akwa Ibom, it’s like you’re playing away from home. True, because the crowd is not even that passionate there. These are the things that we need to fix.”
The Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo has served as the Super Eagles’ principal home venue in recent years and remains one of Nigeria’s major venues for international fixtures.
Meanwhile, the National Stadium in Lagos, which hosted major events including the 1973 African Games and the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations final, has remained largely inactive for years despite several efforts to restore the facility.
Okocha, who recently turned 53, earned 73 caps for Nigeria between 1993 and 2006, scoring 14 goals.
He represented the country at five Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and three FIFA World Cups, establishing himself as one of the most celebrated players in Nigerian football history.
One of his most memorable performances came at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations final in Lagos against Cameroon. Okocha scored a spectacular long-range goal as Nigeria drew 2-2 with the Indomitable Lions before eventually losing 4-3 on penalties.
For Okocha, restoring a recognised home venue could therefore be more than a matter of location—it could help rebuild the atmosphere, confidence and sense of belonging that once made the Super Eagles formidable on home soil.
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