Kurfi cautions against continued ‘attacks’ on Super Eagles

…As embattled players seek redemption in Freetown The Chairman of Katsina State Football Association and member of the Nigeria Football Federation Technical Committee, Alhaji Aminu Balele Kurfi has cautioned Nigerians against continued ‘attacks’ on the Super Eagles despite their recent disappointing performance. The three-time African champions incurred the wrath of Nigerian football fans after they […]

• …As embattled players seek redemption in Freetown

The Chairman of Katsina State Football Association and member of the Nigeria Football Federation Technical Committee, Alhaji Aminu Balele Kurfi has cautioned Nigerians against continued ‘attacks’ on the Super Eagles despite their recent disappointing performance.

The three-time African champions incurred the wrath of Nigerian football fans after they gave away a four nil lead to draw 4-4 with the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone in the first leg of their 2021 AFCON qualifier played last Friday in Benin City.

The Super Eagles, however, have another opportunity to redeem themselves tomorrow when they face their West African neighbours in the return leg in Freetown.

Ahead of the fixture, Kurfi who is optimistic of Super Eagles qualification for the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon said instead of continually castigating the players, Nigerians should rally behind the Eagles in their moment of despondency.

He, however, advised Coach Gernot Rohr to avoid a repeat of the faulty substitutions he made in the first leg, leading to the ‘disastrous’ outing in Benin.

“For the umpteenth time, I want to say that the draw in Benin tasted like a bad defeat. The performance of the Super Eagles was disappointing to say the least.

“However, we shouldn’t throw away the baby with the bath water. I call on Nigerians to forgive the players. They have owned up to their mistakes and should be forgiven.

“But to avoid another disappointment in Freetown, the players must play as if they are playing the World Cup finals against Brazil and the coach must be more careful with his substitutions.

“In Benin, the substitutions he made disorganised the defence and weakened the attack. He changed a winning team.

“As usual, our goalkeeping nightmare continued. The substitution of Ahmed Musa and Chukwueze also gave the Leone Stars the confidence to push forward. These are tactical errors Rohr must avoid in Freetown,” he said.

In a related development, Kurfi charged all the relevant football stakeholders to put away their selfish interests and support Amaju Pinnick to ensure the Super Eagles qualify for Cameroon 2021.

According to him, the NFF president and another board member, Ibrahim Gusau were left alone in Benin to handle the crucial assignment while the majority of the Executive Committee members were away at an event in Kano.

Kurfi who alleged that the gathering in Kano was political said it is too early for anyone to begin to strategise for elections in 2022.

The outspoken football administrator maintained that this is the time for all hands to be on the deck for Nigeria to qualify for the 2021 AFCON and 2022 World Cup in Qatar.