₦airaland Forum

Mujtahida:
It was not ill - luck. It was deliberate sabotage.

How would the goalkeeper not catch the ball? Even you, you go catch that ball. He positioned his body, telling the Gk where he wanted to play the ball, then as if that was not enough, he passed the ball to the Gk.

You are coming to play penalty at a semi final oo. This boy do us wetin no good.

Baba calm.down o. Accusing Chukwueze of sabotage in taking his penalty is taking things too far.

His attitude, body language, demeanor and facial expression were all off and seemed like he didnt appreciate the seriousness of that moment and the importance of scoring that penalty, and he missed it but to label him a saboteur? Mba, that's too extreme and unacceptable.

Below is what I posted last night

I don't even understand our players.

I've watched interviews of many of them, and they say they practice penalties in training every day.

Yet, they always take terrible PKs during PSO.

Look at Chukwueze taking that penalty so lackadaisically and nonchalantly. His body language, approach and demeanour was so off, like he didnt wanna be there and I knew he was gonna lose it.

Is that the kind if penalty he's been taking during training that he was brought in and selected to be our second PK taker?

No be na wa, na real wa

KingTom:
E be like say Balablu don make una skin full this season my brother tear me 500k this morning, now he's asking me between Lexus RX350 and Highlander which one better pass?

Me wey I no fit afford ordinary 15k to cook pot of soup, where I wan take see 100k to dash? Biko, na joke I dey o.

BlueRayDick:
The coach might leave on his own terms when other countries in need of national team coach come calling.

If any serious team offering him better condition of service comes calling, I won't be surprised if he takes the offer and ditch us for good.

The nature of their job is to be hired and fired, and they operate like mercenaries with no loyalty to anyone except in cases of overriding conflict of interest. For example, before appointing Chelle, NFFF sent feelers to Pitso Motsimane of South Africa to know if he'd be interested in managing the Super Eagles, and he declined saying Nigeria and South Africa were in the same WCQ group, and he couldn't work against the interest of South Africa, and it'd have serious repercussions for him.

Also, to be frank, the $50k/month that Chelle earns is like the bottom tier of salary for foreign National team coaches so that one sef dey. A better offer like the $100k it was rumoured Tunisia was offering him before they appointed someone else can tempt him away.

I hope he stays but if he goes, we simply appoint another coach and move on. There was Super Eagles before him, and there will be Super Eagles after him.

Just last December it made the news that he was being owed at least 3 months salary which I don't know if it has been cleared now.

That was the status as at the first week of December when that news broke. But as at the first week of January, NFF don pay hin salary up till the month of January and isn't owing him currently.

minfelix:
The surest way to win afcon is if the afcon knockout stage(quarterfinals/Semifinal) is crowded by less fancied opponets causing upsets on big boys in the previous stage …
maybe like SA removing Morocco to enter the quarterfinals and Benin removing senegal to reach Semifinals and Mali beating Egypt to meet Nigeria at the final….super eagles over the years till date is not looking like a team that can win a final against powerhouse..
Vs Senegal
Vs Morocco
Vs CIV
Vs Ghana
Vs Cameroon
Vs Algeria

make luck just help us align 2027 Afcon knockout stage in this way:👇🏽
Nigeria Vs a lesser opponent (R16) maybe B/faso
Nigeria Vs a Stronger rival (quarterfinals) maybe Egypt
Nigeria Vs a lesser underdog who just made an upset(Semifinal) maybe Capeverde
Nigeria Vs a lesser opponent (Final) South Africa or Zambia

I disagree.

Ater the Q/F performance against Algeria, I fancied our team's chances against every team except Morocco.

Morocco or Senegal , whoever may win it are not better than us.

You'd only appreciate how well we played when you see the way Morocco will defeat Senegal in the final

WhoDeyHause:
Omo I still never get myself till this morning. Both Chelsea and Nigeria L I chop last night. I didn't even send Chelsea if only we could win Morocco and enter final but it is what it is. Men like egbon gbola wey no dey watch ball no know wetin God do for them last night.

Yeah, it hurts more the morning after.

Still, I am proud of the boys. Unlike the team's WCQ playoff loss to DR Congo which was listless, there were positives to take from the team's performance yesterday.

I saw grit, tenacity, fighting spirit and a determination not to lose the game in regulation + extra time. l watched the match with calm and being unafraid, and not once did I think we'd concede.

It's just unfortunate that the PSO turned out to be our albatross, and once again, our PK takers let Nwabali down despite his heroics.

The 2027 AFCON in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will be a level playing ground for everyone, and hopefully we can win it then.
.
I just hope the NFF doesn't press the self destruct button and sack the coach. Rather, he should be given an extended contract that runs until the end of the 2027 AFCON.

I am a Super Eagles supporter, not a fan. We go again in 2027.

Papi85:
I’m really proud of Chelle and his boys

Same here.

Despite the biased officiating, mammoth home support, pitch familiarity, and absence of Ndidi, Morocco could only defeat us via penalties. That says a lot.

The 2027 AFCON in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will be a more level playing ground and hopefully we can win it.

Eric Chelle has done well. He deserves a long term contract.

Same outcome as the WCQ play off but there was no fear, no folding this time.

I saw grit, tenacity, fighting spirit and a determination not to lose from our boys. Funny thing is that game could have continued for another 30 minutes and we wouldn't have conceded.

Unfortunately, penalty proved to be our albatross, and once again our takers let Nwabili down despite his heroics.

Kudos to the boys and Eric Chelle. The NFF should give the coach an extended contract that runs until the end of the 2027 AFCON.

It can only get better.

BlueRayDick:
To start with, Charles Anazodo is a fooool who speaks from different sides of his mouth based on his bias at each point in time. A guy did a twitter thread showing tweets at different times in the past from the same Charles supporting Super Eagles and Super Falcons players who protested their wages in 2019 . He didn't say they were wrong then, instead he helped them amplify their voice on social media till the issues were resolved. He probably had no love for Buhari's government and reasoned like a normal human being then.

Today he is a strong BATist who sees every criticism of government or its agencies from the lens of his political bias and always rise to defend them even when the defenses doesn't make much sense.

How can any reasonable person leave NFF the culprits and be attacking the players demanding their wages/bonus? Does that make any sense to you? Since you are saying the players should not honor invites if they are doing it for money, maybe the NFF too should start putting a caveat out when they send invite that the players will not be paid. So let only the mediocre players who need national team for exposure honor the invite . Even countries poorer than Nigeria pay their players for international duty , but Nigerian players should play for charity. Shior!

Anybody that refuse to eat over a game of football that has 3 possible outcome(win, draw or lose), that's their personal problem. Even players of top clubs in Europe lose important matches and still go out to chill with their loved ones. Guess what? They will receieve their due wages as stipulated in their contract. Anybody that foolishly lose valuables because they bet on football match, such a person does not deserve to own that cash or property in the first place.

Lol. You just dey help elder further him persona beef and agenda. Again, I did not state that the players should play for free. Far from it.

I only questioned the ill-timing of the teams protests by refusing to train and travel during the crucial WCQ playoffs and the AFCON Q/F respectively due to their delayed bonuses, and even suggested a better way and time to protest

This is an excerpt from the substantive post I made on the issue in the Super Eagles thread.

The outstanding bonus issue can be handled differently and at a better time. The AFCON 2027 qualifiers would commence soon. They can choose to protest their unpaid allowances then. They can even drag the NFF publicly and expose them if need be. Nigerians will back that fight but this one on the backdrop of their recent failures is ill-timed and unnecessary. The team does not need this drama. They should silence all the noise, lock in, and let their football and results speak.

You can read my substantive post from the link below.

https://www.nairaland.com/3018619/super-eagles-thread-road-afcon/18647#138064414

As per me not taking my dinner because of the Super Eagles losses in crucial games, na my own coping mechanism be that, and I don't think it's out of place to lose appetite for food when such happens.

TemporaryHansel:
A lecturer who won’t teach without pay is lecturing players on playing without pay. Comedy writes itself once more.

ASUU strikes every time salaries are delayed, but footballers protesting unpaid bonuses are now enemies of the state. Same problem, same government, different standards.

If players should reject call-ups because the NFF is notorious for owing, then lecturers should resign instead of striking since the government is notorious for defaulting. But somehow, only footballers must suffer “for the badge.”

This isn’t moral clarity. It’s selective outrage powered by hypocrisy.
Stop needles strikes, if you truly believe in and love this country, teach for free, disgusting hypocrite.

You don go copy from chatgpt again.

Whenever you don't use AI na that time you dey drop gba takes like poor people should be prevented from voting, as if they vote as bloc.

Simple challenge, you dey foam for mouth instead of posting where I said the players should play for free.

TemporaryHansel:
Grasping at straws as usual, smh.
As for the last part, 100k might be a big deal for you, but it's not, for me. ✌🏽

Simple challenge to produce receipt, you dey yarn opata. Waive jare.

raumdeuter:
reccy semid4lyfe

Any updates on ASUU strikes

ASUU is not currently on strike.

TemporaryHansel:
I've come to realize that lecturers hate this country. If not so, why can't they be patriotic and teach for free?

They should know that the Nigeria government, regardless of who is in power, or the form, would likely not honour any agreement reached with them, therefore they should stop going on strike.

Lol. Coward

You are still smarting from all the beatdown I have given you for your jejune posts on this thread so every once in a while, you take potshots at me.

No worry, I go monetize am for you this time and make it worth your while.

If you can point out the exact post where I said a person or a group of persons should render their services for free to the country, I've got 100k for you.

I don't even understand our players.

I've watched interviews of many of them, and they say they practice penalties in training every day.

Yet, they always take terrible PKs during PSO.

Look at Chukwueze taking that penalty so lackadaisically and nonchalantly. His body language, approach and demeanour was so off, like he didnt wanna be there and I knew he was gonna lose it.

Is that the kind if penalty he's been taking during training that he was brought in and selected to be our second PK taker?

No be na wa, na real wa.

See the yeye casual penalty wey Chukwueze play. Chewing gum too in the process.

We are terrible in playing penalties. Appalling. Why were we playing for penalties when e no sure for us?

Our penalty takers always let Nwabali down.. Always.

I am devastated.

Onyedika dropped a stinker today. And this is no agenda.

Unstoppable force (Morocco) vs unmovable object (Nigeria)

Extra time.

Onyedika is sleeping in this game

Cold dey catch me and I l sey shiver like say I dey Siberia.

If me a fan watching on TV in the comfort of my home dey feel like this, how the players go dey feel?

Super Eagles, abeg do this one for us.

Spainever:
Baba calm down o 😂😂😆😆 so you don't collapse ..make sure you watch Witt people o 😂. It is very tensed match since we are not going to world cup . This is our compensation o

Na house I dey watch am o.

Madam and the kids don go bed and na only me dey living room dey watch am.

My heart o.

Tension wan wound me. Super Eagles abeg o.

[quote author=chrisooblog post=138128782]Sani Suleiman says hi

The Flying Eagle has landed 🦅🙌

From Naija to Slovakia to Leipzig: follow Sani's story and get to know our new 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧 here ⏩ https://t.co/MXVPWGduPN pic.twitter.com/w6zIhWJ7yi

— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) January 13, 2026

! Our own Yan Diamonde abi na Amad Diallo. Coincidentally, the former is also in RB Leipzig.

He looks young, has the mannerism and acts the part. Next thing now na Suoer Eagles call up when AFCON 2027 Qualifiers start.

I wish him well.

do4luv14:
Good morning GuyZ

Amen +1today , Happy birthday 🎂🎂🎂 to me 💕💕💕💃💃💃💃🎉🎉🎉

Happy birthday bro. May the Super Eagles win and give you cause for double celebration today.

Let us pray.

Father, in the name of Jesus
We praise you, worship and adore you
We thank you for your grace upon our National team, the Super Eagles and how far you have brought the team in this AFCON
We specially commit today's AFCON semi-final match against Morocco into your hands, O Lord
Abba Father, take absolute control in Jesus name
Everything, all circumstances during the match shall work in our favour in Jesus name
Laser lights, Injury, red card, bad officiating, own goal, questionable penalties and all devices of the devil against us, squash them in Jesus name
Above all, we pray that at the end of the match duration, we shall emerge victorious and have cause to glorify your name in Jesus name
Thank you Lord, for we know you have answered our prayers
For in Jesus Mighty name we have prayed.

Amen.

TheSuperNerd:
#18 Sani, Our new star winger!!! 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼

This guy, is he that good? I haven't watched him play live but I observed guys here mentioned him as one of the few bright sparks and talked about him positively during the last U-20.

I watched a few highlight clips of him on Youtube but wetin I see no blow my mind.

Anyways, RB Leipzig has a reputation for being one of the best talent spotters/scouting clubs in Europe and pipeline for developing young talents who later transfer to bigger clubs. So maybe, he is the real deal. Time will tell.

Mujtahida:
Bro, there are many considerations before one takes a job oo. Sometimes job satisfaction trumps money. Even today at the presser Chelle said it that he's been following our team since 98. I recall that when he was first appointed he said that coaching Nigeria has been his dream.

Tunisia cannot take him from us. Not even Saudi Arabia can.

Baba, that thing wey Chelle talk na premium bobo and whinning. Coaches get sweet mouth and when dem dey find work, dem go talk wetin go sweet your belle

Coaches by the nature of their job of being hired and fired are mercenaries and have no loyalty to any employer except where there's an overriding conflict of interest.

For example, the NFF sent feelers to Pitso Motsimane of South Africa to know if he'd be interested in coaching the Super Eagles when Finidi resigned, and he declined saying Nigeria and SA were in the same WCQ group, and he could not work against the interest of South Africa.

Tom Saintfient the current coach of Mali said he has been following the Super Eagles for a long time, and it was his dream job. But guess what, he also said same about Ghana, Ivory Coast, South Africa and Mali at different times when he was seeking their managerial jobs.

Despite the top quality and better talent at his disposal in the Super Eagles, if Tunisia approaches Eric Chelle with a better offer, hin no go think am twice before hin go resign from his Naija role. You know why? Better structure and organization, timely salary payment and world cup participation. In fact, if I be Etic Chelle agent, I go advise am say make him take the Tunisia job.

Make we no forget say Peseiro resigned as Super Eagles coach only to take up the job of coaching Zamalek.

Akor Adams has been a revelation in this AFCON. Who here remembers when I tagged him our best striker in France when he was still playing for Montpellier, despite Terem Moffi outscoring him?

Philosopher1979, AlhajiDanladi and SamueItem337, you guys were in that conversation and tackled me.

SamueItem337:
You are joking right?

Philosopher1979:
Wow. Why did you say so. He only scored 7 to 19 goals last season. I'm not saying you are wring but state your reasons. Have you actually seen him play

AlhajiDanladi:
Not sure how he arrived at that conclusion, Moffi and Gift Orban are currently our best strikers in Ligue 1

To which I replied as below

semid4lyfe:
I agree 7 goals in 19 appearances isn't stellar for a striker but my opinion is not restricted to his goals tally.

It's more about his skillset and attributes - positioning, threat-factor, pace, game contribution and all round play.

I watched the full match of Montpellier vs Nice (Akor Adams vs Terem Moffi) last season with both starting and although neither of them scored, it was as clear as day that Akor was the better striker.

,........and oh, it's not just a one-match opinion.

As for Gift Orban, he can be quite anonymous in games and I'm not yet convinced about him

And I was always yearning for his call-up even then.

Shey una don see am say my assessment aged well? No be say I dey brag but for an ex-aspiring amateur footballer, ex-assistant youth club coach, and avid fan of the game like myself. the eye test is the primary assessment tool and is enough. Data is secondary. I sabi good player when I see one.

TheSuperNerd:
Chelle is not shifting to a double pivot because it has always been a double pivot. Onyedika is only coming to take up Ndidi's place in that double pivot in the 4-3-1-2 cum 442 diamond setup. Chikena.

I prefer Chelle switch the personnel. Onyeka should play Ndidi's role. Onyedika should play Onyeka's former role.

liveLongNprospa:
Lol

Ore, it's been a while. How you dey?

Emmy450:
I remembered your earlier post where you had doubts about super eagles beating Algeria

Forgive me bro, I know not what I'm doing.

Was delirious with happiness yesterday. Didnt post because I wanted to soak in the victory and marinate in the sweet feeling.

Omo, Super Eagles no small.

iamoyindamola:
I agree with the veterans here
These guys are shameless always fighting for bonuses, they could have rejected the call up
I read England don't pay their players or maybe they all voluntarily donated to charity, we know it's your money and right but do it thr right way not in the middle of tournaments

“I’ve withdrawn my support for the Super Eagles, whether they win AFCON or not, I don’t care. It’s your money but you’re disgracing the country by protesting for your money where you’re doing it.”

- Charles Anazado slams the Super Eagles for protesting for their unpaid bonuses. pic.twitter.com/uAUVpE8RfF

— SportsDokitor (Odogwu👆) (@sportsdokitor) January 10, 2026

I agree with Charles Anazodo.

Nigeria is a dysfunctional, we all know this NFF is inefficient and a clog in the wheel of our football progress, fact!. There is massive corruption in the NFF, true. . Players will always be owed allowances, bonuses, awards, no be today.

But everything we have achieved, every laurel we have ever won in football has been despite the systemic corruption, the poorly run NFF and maladministration of our football.

If money is the players only motivation to play and they cant do it for the honour of the badge and repping Nigeria, then they should reject their invitation to the national team because NFF is notorious for owing, will not pay them as at when due and will always owe. Simple!

Football is a very emotional sport. Nigerians are heavily and emotionally invested in the Super Eagles. People have been sent to their early graves on account of the team's loss. Did we not read about the Nigerian who slumped and died due to the team's loss to Ivory Coast in the last AFCON final? Me, I couldn't eat the night of the 2022 WCQ loss to Ghana, ditto last year's playoff loss to DR Congo. I was irritable and brooded for a week before I got over it.

People lost livelihoods and income because of their non qualification. Brands attached to the team lose money and revenue too. Edafe Mathew Elegbete of Elegbete Sports said the Super Eagles failure to qualify for the Qatar 2022 world cup put him $250,000 in debt.

Their incessant protests at every crunch time has become silly. They protested during the WCQ playoffs, dem jabo. Dem wan play AFCON Q/F against their toughest opponent, they are protesting again. Where is the sense in that? Didnt they learn anything from their last protest? At this point, their protest has become a tool to blackmail and sabotage the country.

Hand don dey pain me so make I put full stop for here but I am glad people are now calling them out now for this nonsense behaviour.

Below is the post I made in the Super Eagles thread on this their AFCON protest.

semid4lyfe:
Ore, I do not disagree with you. I just think training in Fez is still better than not training at all.

Still, I am pissed about the protest. More so, I am shocked they would do it again after pulling the same stunt a month ago and it backfired with their loss to DR Congo.

The players say this AFCON is a redemption mission and a way to apologize and compensate Nigerians for not qualifying for the world cup. They ask Nigerians to pray for the team and always support them, and they won't let them down. Fine words, but their actions tell a different story

I mean, how can they down tools on the eve of the Q/Final? They cannot be talking about winning the AFCON, ask us to pray for them and in the same vein sabotage preparations. They cannot claim to be fighting for national pride and to make amends, and then put personal issues above national interest.

The NFF is a mess, always has been. Poor planning, unpaid salaries, owed allowances et al na their trademark. But two wrongs never make a right. Their protest at this critical time doesn't fix the issue. It only hurts the team, fans and the country.

This AFCON no be mai mai. Team wey go win am go try. All the big guns are in the Quarter Finals. All the remaining teams are equally matched. Margins will be thin. A distracted camp, one less acclimatization day, one less training day to perfect strategy etc could be the difference between a victory or defeat.

Sometimes I wonder.....Don't the players talk to themselves? Is there no one amongst them that pointed out that their protest is ill-timed considering their recent history, the current stakes and how tough the opponents are? Can't they make the sacrifice, and play for themselves, their personal legacies? Can't they play to write their names in gold? Can't they play to be forever revered in Nigerian football history?

In 2013, when we faced Ivory Coast in the AFCON Q/F, the NFF had already checked the players out of their hotel and booked flights back home but on matchday the players turned up and played for themselves, the late Keshi, and eventually won the cup. That's the kind of sacrifice and commitment I expect from this set of Super Eagles. This their protest is just giving their critics ammunition to throw at them if things go south.

Nigerians have endured a lot from this team. Two missed World Cups. AFCON FINAL loss. Yet the fans still show up. Still watch. Still believe. The least the players owe them is focus and professionalism for the duration of the AFCON.

The outstanding bonus issue can be handled differently and at a better time. The AFCON 2027 qualifiers would commence soon. They can choose to protest their unpaid allowances then. They can even drag the NFF publicly and expose them if need be. Nigerians will back that fight but this one on the backdrop of their recent failures is ill-timed and unnecessary. The team does not need this drama. They should silence all the noise, lock in, and let their football and results speak.

Anything less than the AFCON title is failure.

Blueelf:
Nigeria 4: 1 Algeria

May even be 5:1

Same scoreline Colin Udoh predicted. All I can say is una dey predict sha.

Me, I don't see this Algerian side conceding four goals but I'll echo a big amen and say may your prediction come through.