The outcome of Nigeria’s game against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa on Tuesday left a bitter aftertaste amongst the country’s faithful football fans, Soccernet.ng reports.
The display – far from impressive, forced outcries on and off social media, with many wondering why a team worth €335.45m (₦598.76bn) can barely string passes and create chances for their striker.
A 1-1 draw at the Free State Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein saw William Troost-Ekong and Cyriel Dessers, who was taken off at half-time, scapegoated for Nigeria’s loss.
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In the match report written by NFF Media, Ekong’s own goal diminished the Super Eagles’ team spirit in South Africa;
“The Super Eagles’ fighting spirit was diminished for a period after team captain William Ekong inadvertently swept the ball into his own net in the 25th minute, wrong-footing Stanley Nwabali to give the Bafana the lead and great impetus.”
The description was far off for former Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers, who barely had a sniff of a goal in 45 minutes on the pitch.
“Cyriel Dessers, who had an unimpressive game in Uyo where he turned out to be a substitute that was substituted, did not have a better game as he was too slow to latch onto passes, could not win aerial balls and did little in bringing alive the Nigerian attack.”
The statement written about Dessers was eventually taken out of the match report, probably due to the backlash from fans on social media.
Oshoala slams NFF for scapegoating players
Al-Hilal and Super Falcons striker, Asisat Oshoala, slammed the Nigerian Football Federation for their lack of support towards their own players.
Dessers, who recently became cap-tied for the Super Eagles, five years after his initial debut in the green and white colours, was defended by the six-time CAF Women’s Player of the Year.
In a post on her official Instagram account, the former BAY FC wrote on her story, ‘SMH, it be your own people, instead of protecting your players, you set them up for drags.’
In just his second competitive cap, the Belgium-born forward has been subject to unfair criticism after barely 100 minutes of action.
While it may appear justified on surface level, the action by the NFF Media team will rub off poorly on foreign talents who might want to play for the Super Eagles in the future.
Recently, Nigeria-eligible Nnamdi Collins became cap-tied for the German National Team, following in the steps of Jamal Musiala and Karim Adeyemi.
With the action of the NFF, it won’t be surprising if many more players take the same route in the future.