Exclusive: “It’s embarrassing” – Former Brentford defender slams Nigerian reaction to Bafana Bafana’s point deduction

Exclusive: “It’s embarrassing” – Former Brentford defender slams Nigerian reaction to Bafana Bafana’s point deduction


Super Eagles of Nigeria are now three points behind Bafana Bafana of South Africa, who have recently had their 17 points reduced to 14 points…

Former Nigeria international Samuel Sodje has criticised the reaction of Nigerian football fans to South Africa’s recent three-point deduction by FIFA, Soccernet.ng exclusively reports.

FIFA has recently sanctioned the Bafana Bafana of South Africa following the fielding of an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, during their clash against Lesotho.

After several weeks of investigation, the World football body deducted three points from South Africa’s 17 points and overturned their +2 goals to -3 goals.

This has thrown a section of the Nigerian football community into jubilation as they hope for a World Cup qualifying turnaround for the Super Eagles, who sit third in the group with 11 points, now 3 points behind South Africa.

Super Eagles stars
Super Eagles stars. Photo Credit: CAF Comms

Sam Sodje on Bafana Bafana’s Point Deduction

The former Brentford defender, speaking to Soccernet.ng, has described this as “embarrassing” for the Super Eagles.

“It’s nice to see FIFA doing what they have to do. For South Africa, they did break the rules, and they’ve taken three points off them. I think that’s normal. What’s surprising now is Nigerians [are] seeing this as big news. I think it’s embarrassing.” he told Soccernet.ng.

Nicolas Anelka France right against Sam Sodje Nigeria
Nicolas Anelka France right against Sam Sodje Nigeria
Copyright: imago Panoramic.

Sodje argued that relying on administrative sanctions to boost World Cup qualification chances reflects poorly on Nigerian football.

He added: “I think we’ve put ourselves in a situation where we had to depend on taken-off South Africa to qualify. If we think we have a chance—I don’t think we do—if we have any slim chance… hopefully we can earn it on the pitch. With the squad we have, with the kind of players we have in Nigeria, a big country like Nigeria, footballing nation [like Nigeria] shouldn’t be going into the discussion about celebrating three points being taken off South Africa.”

Charlton's Sam Sodje scoring his goal
Charlton’s Sam Sodje scoring his goal Credit Image: PHOTOGRAPHER/Cal Media United States/Imago

Sodje concluded with a cautionary note for the Super Eagles:

“So yeah, to answer your question, it’s embarrassing. Hopefully we can learn from this and going forward to get things right and not put ourselves in a situation where we have to depend on people losing points.”

Is Group C Still Competitive for Super Eagles?

Despite South Africa being docked three points by FIFA for fielding an ineligible player, Group C remains highly competitive. Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Rwanda, and Lesotho are all still in contention, with only two matches left to play.

Super Eagles stars Victor Osimhen and Tolu Arokodare
Super Eagles stars celebrate Tolu Arokodare’s goal against Rwanda.
Copyright: IMAGOxAdekunlexAjayix

While the Super Eagles can benefit from South Africa’s sanction, qualification will ultimately depend on results on the pitch, and Eric Chelle’s men have to make every remaining game count.





Source: Soccernet

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *