Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
FORMER Nigerian ex-international, Sam Sodje, has congratulated the Super Eagles of Nigeria on their performance at the just- concluded Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) held in Cote D’Voir.
The former Reading FC solid defender also lauded and thanked President Bola Tinubu for honouring the silver-winning Eagles with enviable awards and recognition.
In a statement he personally signed and made available to journalists on Wednesday, Sodje, however, urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to evolve a suitable solution to highlighted weaknesses noticeable in the team during the tournament.
“As we come to the end of the Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON), the sports sector, especially the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), should now go back to the drawing board to surgically investigate how well we have done while at the same time finding a proper solution to any and all areas of our short comings during the tournament.
“There is no doubt that, with the quality of players and technical personnel that we now had, we did the best that we could in the circumstance.
“The Super Eagles brand is a wonderful brand that is respected worldwide and such, the expectations are always very high thus, anything short of the first place feels like a failure in our eyes.
“Our silver medal from this AFCON should be an inspiration for our boys to aspire to qualify for the next World Cup and for the ultimate price of gold medal in the next AFCON tournament scheduled for Morocco next year.
“To the Super eagles I want to thank you all for your efforts, determination and your patriotism for our dear country,” he enthused.
The former Portsmouth’s centre back urged football authorities in the country to always start early preparation for future tournaments.
“Finally, I want to humbly advise those in charge of our football administration to make efforts to start early preparation so as to ensure that we get our team ready early enough for all future tournaments going forward. Congratulations to Nigeria and Nigerians,” he noted.
Stonix News reports that the Super Eagles lost to the Elephants of Cote D’Voir 1-2 in the final match on February 11, 2024 at the Ouattara stadium, Abidjan.
