By Amaechi Agbo

Super Eagles assistant coach, Joseph Yobo has stated that it would be a disaster for Africa football if Nigeria’s Super Eagles faces Senegal’s Teranga Lions in the 2022 World Cup Play-off next year, www.bestchoicesports.com.ng can report.

Both Nigeria, Algeria, Senegal, Mali, Morocco Tunisia, DR Congo, Cameroon, Ghana and Egypt have all booked their place in the final play-off of the 2022 World Cup Africa Zone.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Best Choice Sports, Yobo, former captain of the Eagles, said that for the fact that Nigeria and Senegal are two great countries in Africa with great football potentials, if one of them misses out in the 2022 World Cup, it would be minus one for the continent.

”Yea,” the former Everton defender answered when our correspondent asked him if pairing Nigeria and Senegal in the play-off would be a disaster.

“Looking at (it) from the perspective of Senegal and Nigeria, one of the top teams in Africa, so why would you want to merge the two?

“If one misses out, which I know Nigeria won’t, because we can stand to them but these are two big footballing nations with top players. It will be nice for the best teams to represent Africa at the international stage.

“We are talking about the World Cup and that for me is the pinnacle of world football, I know what that is. If Nigeria or Senegal does not go, that is short one for Africa,” he told our correspondent in Abuja

He further explained why Africa should endeavor to present her best nations in the global football stage.

The former Fenerbahce defender noted that football unites Africa adding that if any Africa nation progresses into the knockout statge of the World Cup, other countries would rally round them and support them to go farther

“What we must take into consideration is we are Nigerians as a nation but when it gets to the World Cup, they see us as Africa. When the team’s starts going out, any African team that stays in the tournament, the whole Africa rallies behind them.

“So that is why I said it will be better to see the big African nations qualify for the World Cup and than pairing them together and some missing out because football is a game of luck as well. You can play well and lose and that could happen to any nation if you pair the big teams together,” he concluded.

The Play-off Round will be held in March 2022.