Emmanuel Dennis has spoken of his unhappiness at the Super Eagles failing to qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, which kicks off on November 20 and ends on December 18.
Nigeria got knocked out on the away goals rule in the playoffs after playing a goalless draw against Ghana in Kumasi and a 1-1 draw in Abuja in March.
Although Dennis had missed the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon two months earlier because of club commitments, he played in both legs of the playoffs, starting the second leg in Abuja and coming off the bench in the first leg.
The Nottingham Forest forward said he found it difficult even remembering when he was asked about his feeling regarding Nigeria missing out on the World Cup.
“A lot of people ask me that and I don’t really want to answer because it breaks my heart. I really wanted to go to the World Cup for the country,” Dennis says in a show ‘In The Premier League Chair’ set to be aired soon on SuperSport.
“Because Nigerian football for the past few years hasn’t been doing good. We’ve been struggling but we have a lot of quality players, very good players.”
The 1-1 draw in Abuja that sealed Nigeria’s fate led to a pitch invasion at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium as the fans showed their frustrations.
Dennis believes it was an indication of how much Nigerians love their football.
“You could see the disappointment in the fans when we didn’t qualify. They broke into the stadium. That’s people that are passionate about football,” he noted.
“It’s really heartbreaking and something I’m trying to forget about. It just stays in my head.”
Dennis was not in the Super Eagles squad to Russia 2018, and Qatar 2022 would have been the 24-year-old Nottingham Forest forward’s first World Cup.
He made his international debut in September 2019 and has made seven appearances, scoring one goal.
