Legendary Super Eagles player Austin Okocha has expressed concerns about the likelihood that African nations will send representation to the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Cameroon will all be in attendance at the Mundial to represent the continent.
Only three nations have advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals: Cameroon in Central Africa, Senegal and Ghana in West Africa.
Okocha acknowledged that Senegal and Morocco could pull off one or two surprises, but the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder was concerned that the other three sides might end up being the target of their groups' taunts.
“It’s the first time that I’m not confident enough about Africa’s chances in the World Cup,” Okocha said, as per Carton Sport. “Maybe they can surprise us and do very well. If you look at Asia and North America, they seem stronger and more advanced than us. This means bad news for our football.
“We were already 50 paces behind South America and Europe, and now North America and Asia seem ahead of us. We have hopes in Senegal and Morocco; they seem the strongest. Tunisia, Ghana, and Cameroon seem to be stepping stones for other teams to reach the knockout stages.
“With their current form, I fear they will go home after three matches. Hopefully, they prove me wrong.”
Senegal will fancy their chances in Group A, where they have been classed together with hosts Qatar, Ecuador, and the Netherlands.
Tunisia is in Group D alongside France, Australia, and Denmark. Canada, Belgium, and Croatia are with Morocco in Group F. Cameroon will battle Switzerland, Brazil, and Serbia in Group G.
Ghana will vie for a knockout round ticket with Portugal, Korea Republic, and Uruguay in Group H.