"Football is long dead and gone in Nigeria" - JJ Okocha

A former skipper of the Super Eagles, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, has expressed disappointment with the senior national team, over the 1-0 loss to Sudan in the African Cup of Nations Qualifiers in Khartoum on Saturday.

The two-time BBC African Footballer of the Year described the defeat as confirming his worst fears that “football is long dead and gone” in Nigeria.

Writing on Twitter on Sunday, Okocha wondered if the Super Eagles could have performed better, considering the level of development of football in the country.

Stating that the result of the match has put the national team in a “very unusual situation,” he cautioned against unfairly criticising the Super Eagles and the coaching crew.

“We are in a very unusual situation. The question is: ‘do we deserve better considering the state of our football affairs in recent times?’ Anyone that blames Keshi or the boys is short-sighted. Our football is long dead and gone. This is just the confirmation,” the former Nigerian midfielder tweeted.

The teammate of the Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi, however, praised the South African national team for their 2-0 triumph over their host, Congo, adding that Nigeria should step up their game.

“Well done, South Africa. It is not the result most Nigerians expected, though. But we have to step up our game and grab the next six points to have a chance,” Okocha added.


Credit: Temitayo Famutimi/PunchNews