In the aftermath of Nigeria’s recent disappointing 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier 1-1 draw against South Africa, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, faced some backlash after pointing fingers at Super Eagles players William Troost-Ekong and Cyriel Dessers.
NFF’s Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, had, in a statement after the game, aimed at Dessers, labelling his display against South Africa as ‘too slow’ and blaming Troost-Ekong for the own goal that handed Bafana Bafana a goal.
“Cyriel Dessers, who had an unimpressive game in Uyo where he turned out to be a substitute that was substituted, didn’t have a better game as he was too slow to latch onto passes, couldn’t win aerial balls and did little in bringing alive the Nigerian attack.
“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 statement partly read.
DAILY POST reports that NFF’s remarks generated outrage among former Super Eagles players, like Sunday Oliseh and Peter Odemwingie, as both men rallied in defense of Dessers and Troost-Ekong.
Oliseh and Odemwingie condemned the NFF’s decision to single out both players, arguing that the blame should not rest solely on the pair.
They stressed the need for a collective responsibility, insisting that football is a team game and not an individual sport.
However, when DAILY POST contacted former Super Eagles forward Daniel Amokachi for his opinion on the development, the former Everton star insisted that he was not in a good position to speak.
According to Amokachi, only the officials of the NFF can give the right answer because they are the ones who made the remarks about Troost-Ekong and Dessers.
“I’m not in a good position to answer your questions,” Amokachi told DAILY POST.
“You should get the NFF people to answer your questions. They are the ones that made the remarks [about Troost-Ekong and Dessers].”
DAILY POST contacted NFF’s Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, to comment on the development.
He simply said that the matter had been resolved.
According to Olajire, the NFF reached out to both players to resolve the issue.
“The matter has been resolved,” Olajire told DAILY POST.
“Sunday Oliseh didn’t mention anything about it; he was saying something else.
“Yes, Peter [Odemwingie] mentioned it, but of course, it was an issue that has been dealt with.
“We reached out to the players, and everything is resolved. Please let’s move ahead,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nigeria is in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier, alongside the likes of South Africa, Benin Republic, Rwanda, Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
The Super Eagles currently sit in third position in the group with 11 points from eight games after FIFA deducted three points and three goals from South Africa on Monday for playing an ineligible player against Lesotho.
Benin Republic currently tops the group with 14 points, while South Africa also has 14 points in second position with a lesser goal difference compared to Gernot Rohr’s men.
Outrage among ex-Super Eagles players as NFF blames Troost-Ekong, Dessers for South Africa draw