I t was a historic result in Casablanca – but not in a good way. Nigeria’s 2-1 defeat against South Africa in a playoff in August meant that the Super Falcons are missing out on the World Cup for the first time. It is a crushing blow for the most decorated national side in Africa across both men and women, one that has won no fewer than 10 Wafcon titles .

The journalist and lecturer Dr Victor Ademola was in Morocco the day of the defeat. “It was a very difficult evening,” he says. “Some players were visibly emotional while others appeared to be processing what had just happened.…