Nasarawa State FA Chairman, Alhaji Salisu Usman Galadima, has lauded the impressive performance of the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the recently concluded African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire.
Despite losing to the host country in the final, Galadima commended the team’s resilience and determination throughout the tournament.
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Galadima, who was present in Côte d’Ivoire during the competition, described the Super Eagles’ performance as outstanding, surpassing expectations and proving critics wrong by reaching the final.
He emphasized that many teams would have aspired to achieve what Nigeria accomplished in the tournament.
Reflecting on the journey to the final, Galadima highlighted the strong spirit and determination exhibited by the Nigerian team, emphasizing their underdog status compared to other highly-rated teams like Morocco, Egypt, and Senegal.
He expressed hope that the team would maintain their impressive form in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
“It was a great tournament for our boys even though many didn’t even fancy them to go all the way before the tournament but they still navigated their way to the final”.
“It was indeed a great experience and now the world will see the Super Eagles differently”.
“Teams like Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Algeria, Tunisia and Senegal were all rated ahead of Nigeria but guess who played in the final?”.
“That is the Nigeria spirit and we hope the boys will take that form into the World Cup qualifiers”.
However, Galadima condemned the cyberbullying directed at Alex Iwobi, one of the key players in the Super Eagles squad.
He emphasized that Iwobi played a crucial role in the team’s success and should not be singled out for criticism.
Galadima called for an end to such behaviour, urging Nigerians to support and encourage their athletes rather than subject them to online abuse.
In the AFCON final, Nigeria lost to Côte d’Ivoire despite William Ekong Troost’s first-half goal, with Frank Kessie and Sabastine Heller scoring second-half goals for the host team at the Stade Alassane Ouattara Debimpe.
