The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has come under fire following its criticism of Super Eagles stars William Troost-Ekong and Cyriel Dessers after Nigeria’s 1-1 draw with South Africa in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
NFF’s Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, in a post-match statement, described Dessers’ performance as “too slow” and faulted Troost-Ekong for the own goal that gifted Bafana Bafana their opener.
“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 statement read in part.
On Troost-Ekong, the NFF lamented: “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.”
The remarks sparked outrage among former Nigerian internationals Sunday Oliseh and Peter Odemwingie, who strongly condemned the decision to single out players for criticism. Both men stressed that football is a team sport and that responsibility for the result should be collective, not individual.
However, ex-Eagles striker Daniel Amokachi declined to comment, insisting the matter was best addressed by NFF officials since they made the remarks.
When contacted, Olajire confirmed the issue had been resolved, saying the federation had reached out to both Troost-Ekong and Dessers.
“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,” Olajire told DAILY POST.
Meanwhile, Nigeria currently sits third in Group C of the World Cup qualifiers with 11 points from eight games. Benin Republic leads with 14 points, while South Africa is second on the same points tally but with a lower goal difference.
The Super Eagles’ hopes were recently boosted after FIFA deducted three points and three goals from South Africa for fielding an ineligible player against Lesotho.
