Nigeria's inability to defeat Ghana in March stopped them from qualifying for Qatar 2022, a result that stunned not just the country but also the Nigerians in Qatar, who were looking forward to watching the team play and benefiting from their participation at the tournament.
Ekene Romeo, a businessman who has lived in Qatar for over a decade, said the Super Eagles' inability to qualify was painful and financially devastating.
“I had placed an order for 20,000 Nigerian national team jerseys, which I knew would be in high demand. I was also making plans to host the first ever Nigerian entertainment and fashion week here in Qatar during the World Cup,” Romeo told Al Jazeera.
“The event would’ve featured some of the best Afrobeats artists, comedians and fashion designers to showcase and promote the Nigerian entertainment and fashion industries.”
“the order for the national team jerseys was cancelled and the events were put on hold while we work out how to modify it to fit in other African countries qualified for the tournament,”
The absence of the squad from the World Cup has damaged sales and travel packages set in place since November 2021, according to Bukola Aliu, secretary of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) Lagos zone.
“Many people expressed an interest in touring Qatar as well,” Aliu told Al Jazeera from Lagos. “The demand has reduced because most people are no longer interested,”
Emmanuel Nwachukwu of BFD Global Travels in Qatar says his company has also been impacted.
“We, like other Nigerians, are disappointed because our business strategy was heavily geared towards Nigerian visitors, but demand for tickets from Nigeria is extremely low now,”
Restaurant owner Abo Chebib, of Mama’s Place in Qatar and DJ Walex have all disclosed how they have been impacted.
“The World Cup is about more than just the 32 teams. It’s about tourism, culture, food, investment and having a good time. From all indications, fewer Nigerians will travel to Qatar, which will have an impact on our business, given that we have spent many years preparing for the World Cup,” Chebib said.
“We recently hosted an African comedy festival with popular Nigerian comedians such as Emmanuella and Aunty Success, which drew a large audience. A World Cup appearance for Nigeria would have been magical because it would have created an atmosphere to attract top Nigerian artists to Qatar who have a large following in the country," DJ Walex added.
Negative impact is occurring for various industries, including media, branding, and PR, according to Ayodeji Bolorunduro, owner of African Hub, a media and consultancy organization in Qatar.
“When a team like Nigeria, with a total population of about 200 million, goes missing, it affects a lot of businesses and sectors at home and abroad,” Bolorunduro said. “It has cost me in advertising, branding and publishing. Nigerians consume a lot of media and entertainment, so the gap is significant,”
Samuel Ikpea, national chairman of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC), expressed sadness and described the country's failure to qualify for the World Cup as having far-reaching consequences in both the commercial and sports sectors.
“It would have been an unforgettable and memorable experience. We had planned to launch the supporters club in Doha the day before the World Cup draw, but it did not happen because we were all consumed by disappointment,"
“A lot of businessmen who had started making plans or programmes believing that the country will be at the World Cup are now counting their losses,”
Dominic Ibhagbe, a Nigerian real estate entrepreneur in Qatar, stated that he "rented two villas from June to December with the goal of hosting roughly 30 Nigerians with music, food, and services,"
“But I have lost significantly. My hope is to host other nationals, but the difference will be obvious,” he added.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will miss out on $12.5m from FIFA for failing to qualify, a $2.5m preparation fee plus $10m for qualifying for the group stages.
According to Amaju Pinnick, head of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the squad would have gotten 35% ($4.4m) of the revenues, implying that the federation and players have not only lost a large amount right now, but also suffer a loss of money in other areas in the future.