Former international, Henry Nwosu, has urged Nigerians, especially football-lovers, not to weep for the inability of the Super Eagles to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) billed for Equatorial Guinea.
The former captain of the senior national team told TheNiche that he had warned the team against underrating the Bafana Bafana of South Africa, as the last qualifier between the two teams was a different ball game.
He said: “Weep not for the team and its technical crew for the failure of the country to qualify for the Nations Cup next year because I had warned them against being over-confident and complacent.
“I told them that the importance of victory demands that every player on the pitch makes reasonable contribution, plays as in a team and avoids mistakes.
“But what did we see in the match? A contrast to what I warned them against, and they paid dearly for it, which was not good for the country at this time we are trying to reposition our football.”
The Super Eagles forced the Bafana Bafana to a 2-2 draw at the recently-commissioned Akwa Ibom International Stadium dubbed ‘Nest of Champions’.
The result was, however, not good enough to see the team through to next year’s AFCON to defend the trophy it won last year in South Africa, as closest rival, Congo, defeated Sudan in Khartoum by a lone goal to qualify.
It will be the second time in two years that Nigeria failed to qualify for the Nations Cup billed for Equatorial Guinea. The first was in 2012 when Equatorial Guinea co-hosted the tournament with Gabon.
The match last Wednesday was the first competitive and international match to be played at the Nest of Champions.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has accepted full responsibility for the failure of the team to qualify for the AFCON finals in Equatorial Guinea.
NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, said that it was a time for sober reflection rather than trading blames or looking for scapegoats.
He added that last Wednesday’s failure could turn out to be blessing in disguise.
He said: “The NFF takes full responsibility for what has happened. It is a tragedy for us to come so near and yet fail to reach the finals.
“We made so much effort and sacrifice in Congo to achieve the victory we needed there last Saturday, and really had no business bungling it here.
“However, our commitment is to build a sustainable football culture in the country and nothing has changed.
“This is a disappointment but for us. We gave it our best shot and supported the team fully.
“This has happened, but we believe it will work together for us to toil hard and achieve a renaissance that will take Nigerian football to much higher heights than it has ever been.”