Super Eagle & Bafana Fans in War on Twitter
Nigeria/South Africa: Inexperienced Players, Coaches Cost Nigeria Victory Over South Africa, Says Laloko
Nigeria were stunned by South Africa at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, to a 2-0 defeat in the campaign to qualify for the 2019 African Nations Cup but it didn't end there. Fans on Twitter were left fuming when the official Twitter account of the Super Eagles posted a congratulatory tweet.
Former Technical
Director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Kashimawo Laloko has
attributed the Super Eagles loss to the Bafana Bafana of South Africa to
a combination of inexperience on the part of the players and the
coaching crew assisting Coach Gernot Rohr.
South Africa
created an upset at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo,
Akwa Ibom State when they defeated Nigeria 2-0 in the first game of
group E Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier for the Cameroon 2019
African Nations Cup.
Speaking to The
Guardian yesterday, Laloko said Coach Gernot Rohr walked on the same
rope the late Coach Stephen Keshi trod on that ensured that we did not
qualify for the 2015 AFCON after winning the 2013 edition. That is by
parading five players in his team that had never played in the AFCON
before.
"I once told a
member of the technical committee of the Nigeria Football Federation
(NFF) during a license coaching course in Abuja that the Eagles team
then did not have a bench. And if you have no bench it means the
movement of the team can be predictable and such team at the appropriate
time will be dealt with. That is exactly what happened to us on
Saturday against the South Africa.
"And as far as I am
concerned, every other reasons given by others as to why we lost is
immaterial. This was the same mistake that Stephen Keshi made when he
fielded five inexperienced players during the AFCON qualifiers. And that
resulted in our not going to the 2015 edition after winning the
previous one," he said.
Still expressing
his sadness over the defeat, the former coach of The Gambia said the
non-appearance of the old horses caused the nation the bitter loss
against South Africa.
"The reason we lost
that match was because there was no Victor Moses and no goalkeeper.
Coach Rohr brought in players who have never played in the AFCON before
for this country. In anything we are doing, experience is very
important. What we lost in experience was what we lost in a more
determined team, a well-prepared team.
"Rohr toyed with
our lives, image and that was why we got it wrong. Experience is very
important, even if you are going to engage in armed robbery. If we are
not very careful that might be the end of us qualifying for the AFCON
and that will be very shameful. To make matters worse, even those
coaches assisting Rohr did not have the requisite to make suggestions to
him and guide him with our past experience," he said.
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