The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied knowledge of a post-match statement that criticised Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong and Cyriel Dessers after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with South Africa in a Group C 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
The statement, issued by the NFF’s Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, singled out Dessers and Troost-Ekong for criticism.
It accused Dessers of being sluggish and faulted Ekong for the own goal that gave Bafana Bafana the lead.
“Cyriel Dessers, who had an unimpressive game in Uyo where he turned out to be a substitute that was substituted, did not have a better game as he was too slow to latch onto passes, could not win aerial balls and did little in bringing alive the Nigerian attack.”
Concerning Troost-Ekong, the statement noted:“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 and great impetus.”
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However, NFF General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, said on Wednesday that the statement did not represent the official position of the Federation.
“I saw the release just like everyone else did. Nobody in the Federation is happy with it, the NFF did not authorise that statement. We have great respect for all the players. Blaming an individual for a team result is unfair.
“When we win, it’s a team victory. When we lose, it’s also collective. No player should be singled out.
“It was an unfortunate own goal. His intention was to clear the ball. Anyone who knows football understands that such things happen.”
Sanusi also expressed confidence in the team’s unity, revealing that efforts were ongoing to regroup and refocus ahead of the remaining qualifiers and AFCON 2025 in Morocco.
“Our house is in order. We’re preparing for the rest of the qualifiers and the AFCON in Morocco,” he said.
“There’s no problem with our players or coaching crew. Our relationship remains cordial. The government and the NFF are proud of the players’ efforts.”
Sanusi made it clear that internal disciplinary action would be taken over the unauthorised press statement.
“I can assure you the NFF will take action on the matter,” he said.
The Super Eagles currently occupy third spot in Group C of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with 11 points from eight matches. South Africa lead the group with 17 points.
The team must now win their remaining games against Lesotho and Benin Republic in October, and hope results in other fixtures go their way to stand a chance of ecure qualifying for next year’s World Cup.
By James Agberebi