NFF boss, Amaju Pinnick has said Eagles were unfortunate to crash out of AFCON and added that the focus is now on the World Cup qualifier against Ghana
By Kehinde Okeowo
The president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has said he is proud of the efforts of the Super Eagles players despite their elimination from the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
Eagles were ousted by the North African side, Tunisia on Sunday after the three-time champions were narrowly beaten by a lone goal in a round of 16.
Despite the exit of the team, however, the NFF boss has insisted that the Eagles were unlucky and lost because it was not their day.
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He also said the team will now shift their attention to the Qatar 2022 World Cup play-off with West African neighbour and arch-rival, Ghana. He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare for their support.
In his words, “We are proud of the efforts of the players. They gave their all and tried very hard to win even when they had a numerical disadvantage. It was just not our day.
“I want to thank His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari for his love, support, and encouragement to the team while they were in the championship. I also praise the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Sunday Dare for his interest and attention to the progress of the team. Losing at this stage is painful but we take solace in the great spirit with which the team approached its four matches in Cameroon, out of which it won three.
“The focus and attention will now shift to the FIFA World Cup qualifying play-off against Ghana in March. We want to assure Nigerians that we will prepare even harder for those two matches to get the job done,”
