Former Super Eagles defender Samuel Sodje has blasted the excitement among Nigerian fans after FIFA deducted three points from South Africa in the World Cup qualifiers – www.naijnaira.com reports.
The global football body punished Bafana Bafana for fielding ineligible midfielder Teboho Mokoena during their clash against Lesotho, according to Soccernet.ng.
After weeks of review, FIFA confirmed the sanction by slashing South Africa’s tally from 17 to 14 points while flipping their +2 goal difference to -3.
This decision gave some Nigerian fans fresh hope, with the Super Eagles sitting on 11 points and narrowing the gap to three.
Sodje, however, frowned at the celebration, stressing that a football nation like Nigeria should never depend on boardroom rulings.
“It’s nice to see FIFA doing what they have to do. But it’s embarrassing that Nigerians are treating this as big news,” he said.
The ex-Brentford man warned that counting on FIFA rulings for a World Cup lifeline reflects poorly on the Super Eagles.
“With the talent Nigeria has, we should be proving ourselves on the pitch, not waiting for South Africa’s points to be taken away,” Sodje added.
Group C remains tense with South Africa, Nigeria, Benin, Rwanda, and Lesotho still fighting for qualification with two games left.
Sodje concluded that the Eagles must take responsibility, learn from setbacks, and avoid relying on sanctions for their World Cup dream.
Article updated 2 days ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
