AFCON 2019: Despite Loss, NFF President, Pinnick Backs Supers Eagles To Land Title

Following the Super Eagles 2-0 defeat to Madagascar yesterday at the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Egypt, AFCON 2019, President of the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, Amaju Pinnick has said the defeat was an “eye opener”

The loss was their first defeat in the tournament.

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Pinnick who backed the Nigerian team while addressing the players, alongside Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State in their dressing room after the defeat, assured them of the NFF and President Muhammadu Buhari’s support.

He, however, warned them against underestimating teams as they progress to play in the knockout stages of the competition.

He said, “It might be a sad day but it is not a bad day. This is an eye-opener. No team should be underestimated. It is an eye-opener in the sense that we should not prepare to play a weak team in the second round. There is no weak team in AFCON. Now, let us be ready for the big teams.

“In the last AFCON that we won, we started slowly. We were 10 minutes away from being eliminated in the first round then we scored two goals against Ethiopia, and we won the AFCON. Let us rise up. Individually, let us rekindle our spirit – the spirit of Naija. We did our best but it was not good enough.

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 “We are not pushing the burden on you; it is the collective burden from all of us. There is no team that has not been beaten. It was just a bad day. Please let us make that old man and Nigerians happy. Let them call us whatever name, but we know that we will be going to Aso Rock with the trophy.”

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