Sports
A handful of football fans in Osogbo says they were not impressed with the Super Eagles finishing in third place again at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt.
The fans who spoke after Nigeria defeated Tunisia 1-0 to finish third at 2019 AFCON said Nigeria’s third-place finishing at AFCON was becoming one too many.
They added that they were expecting the Cup.
Taiwo Tiamiyu, a football fan, said he was reluctant to watch the match as he was yet to get over the semi-final loss to Algeria.
“The pain of the defeat on Sunday is still fresh in our minds and to be honest the tournament ended after that match.
“Though third-place is a consolation for us, but it is becoming too much. I believe this is the eighth time we are winning bronze and it is becoming ridiculous.”
Another fan, Gbenga Alamu, said he just had to watch the third-place match because he wanted to see how the team would play.
Alamu said he was not too happy it was bronze medals Nigeria had to contend with again at this year’s AFCON, saying Nigerians were tired of the team returning with them.
“The players and technical team officials were provided with all they needed for the tournament, and they had adequate preparation time. Funds were also released with further monetary promises as bonuses for wins.
“We expected nothing less than the cup after we got to the semi-finals stage, and not another bronze medals like we played for tonight (Wednesday).
“To be honest, I am not impressed with Nigeria winning bronze again, and this is why most fans did not even watch tonight’s match,” he said.
Tunde Ganiyu, a football analyst, however said the team played better on Wednesday, adding that if they had played same way on Sunday, they might not have lost to Algeria.
“To me, they were a better team on Wednesday, compared to the last match against Algeria.
“All the players put in their best to win the match and I think it was better for them.
“With this fair result from this tournament, I hope this could be a starting point for preparing a stronger Super Eagles for the tournaments ahead,” he said.
Hamed Fagbemi, a football viewing centre operator in Osogbo, said the loss to Algeria on Sunday affected the turnout of viewers for the third-place match.
“Football viewers were not really interested in the third-place match and this was evident in the turnout of viewers today (Wednesday).
“Normally, my viewing centre was always filled to the brim from the beginning of the tournament during Nigeria’s matches till our last game against Algeria on Sunday.
“But today (Wednesday), only few people came out to watch the game. I believe they became discouraged after Nigeria lost the semi-final match to Algeria,” he said.
-NAN
BE
– July 16, 2019 @ 07:55 GMT |
Tags: AFCON 2019: Some Osogbo fans unimpressed with Nigeria’s third-place finish
