AFCON 2025
Former Super Eagles midfielder and captain, Sunday Oliseh, has called out the Nigeria Football Federation for subjecting members of the Super Eagles to blame during the last FIFA window.
Cyriel Dessers and Super Eagles captain were criticised heavily, with the latter scoring an own goal in the one-all draw against South Africa in Bloemfontein.
Sunday Oliseh’s reaction comes as a result of an online publication from the NFF’s Media and Communication department, which scapegoated Panathinaikos striker for his performance against Rwanda and South Africa.
Oliseh expressed his displeasure at the NFF on his YouTube channel while highlighting some of the issues affecting the national team as the Super Eagles risk missing out on another FIFA World Cup.
The former Super Eagles midfielder says the lack of support and unity are some of the issues that has affected the team for a long time.
“Football is a team sport. From that alone, you already know why this Super Eagles is not performing,” Oliseh said.
“Your captain scored an own goal while trying to defend. It is as if he took the ball with his hand and put it inside. He was trying to defend and scored an own goal.
“Dessers who was one of the instrumental players that helped us to win three days before they are being criticized after you lost a game. Now they are being criticized.”
Oliseh also highlighted the nonchalant attitudes of the Super Eagles players, insisting they should have defended their teammates, including Dessers and the captain.
“They are shifting the blame away from the management and putting it on the players. They attack these players and the Super Eagles players, none of them have said anything.”
“So it is as if they even deserved being criticized because they are not standing as a team. They are not backing their leaders. This is what destroyed the Super Eagles in 2002.”
Sunday Oliseh recalled how the lack of unity affected the Super Eagles in the early 2000s.
“Look when they did it in 2002, have we all forgotten that the punishment we got was that in 2006 we didn’t qualify.”
“It became the first time that Nigeria did not qualify for the World Cup in almost 20 years. And that’s when the national team started degrading.”
The results against Rwanda and South Africa leave the Super Eagles in a precarious situation as they are on the verge of not qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States next summer.
