African Football Discussion Thread {Male & Female} Current Topic: 👉 WAFCON

[SatoPrincess]

South Africa already topping the group with 13 points but news has it that they might face points reduction sanction due to their action against FIFA rule by fielding  a player that was illegible to play in that their win against Lesotho.
If this happens, this could be a good advantage for Nigeria to redeem themselves and see to their qualifications.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c8d4vq67py1o

I wonder how come the Lesotho FA didn’t catch on earlier that South Africa had an illegal player in the game. Well, it’s better late than never. Bafana Bafana are in the wrong here, they should know which of their players is eligible and which is not so they cannot claim plausible deniability.

[Roseline492]

With current standing in Group C:

South Africa - 13pts
Rwanda - 8 pts
Benin - 8pts
Nigeria - 7pts
Zimbabwe - 5pts
Lesotho - 3pts.

So for Nigeria to secure direct qualification, they must aim to finish as top team in Group C. As it requires overcoming the six point deficit to South Africa by achieving consistent victories in the remaining matches and hoping for favourable results in other group fixtures. That means we will have to be pressing calculator as usual.

No that's not the only way for them to qualify because we have two places for each of the group and for the super eagles the first and the second are the only ones that would be picked, though even the two is a long journey, so is better for them to dream on what they can get than thinking South Africa is like them who will always have near success syndrome, that's not in the nature of the South African because I no them from the beginning as fighters and until the whistle is blown you will never see them backslide, however I don't even no why they had the issue of Fielding Lesotho player when the match was for them but if they are unfortunate about it and some reduction of points are made on them then I will say otherwise for eagles.

[Lida93]

South Africa already topping the group with 13 points but news has it that they might face points reduction sanction due to their action against FIFA rule by fielding  a player that was illegible to play in that their win against Lesotho.
If this happens, this could be a good advantage for Nigeria to redeem themselves and see to their qualifications.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c8d4vq67py1o

I wonder how come the Lesotho FA didn’t catch on earlier that South Africa had an illegal player in the game. Well, it’s better late than never. Bafana Bafana are in the wrong here, they should know which of their players is eligible and which is not so they cannot claim plausible deniability.

They may not identify such at the instant but after some background work probably after the match may have ended. The interest thing about this story is that Lesotho are not pressing charges to Africa Football Federation or FIFA but it's rather Nigeria that are taking up the matter because should the consequence of the rule-break be effected against South Africa it would favour Nigeria thereby lifting their hopes on qualifying to the WC

[SatoPrincess]

South Africa already topping the group with 13 points but news has it that they might face points reduction sanction due to their action against FIFA rule by fielding  a player that was illegible to play in that their win against Lesotho.
If this happens, this could be a good advantage for Nigeria to redeem themselves and see to their qualifications.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c8d4vq67py1o

I wonder how come the Lesotho FA didn’t catch on earlier that South Africa had an illegal player in the game. Well, it’s better late than never. Bafana Bafana are in the wrong here, they should know which of their players is eligible and which is not so they cannot claim plausible deniability.

They may not identify such at the instant but after some background work probably after the match may have ended. The interest thing about this story is that Lesotho are not pressing charges to Africa Football Federation or FIFA but it's rather Nigeria that are taking up the matter because should the consequence of the rule-break be effected against South Africa it would favour Nigeria thereby lifting their hopes on qualifying to the WC

I don’t feel sorry for Bafana Bafana because when Super Eagles played against Zimbabwe, the way South Africans and Ghanaians celebrated the Zimbabwe goal on social media as if they won the World Cup pissed me up. Now that South Africa have been have been sanctioned by the FA, let’s see who laughs last.

[Ndabagi01]

I don't know what he was thinking to have made such adjustments when everything was actually going on fine for the Super Eagles. His tactical error is a big blow to Nigeria hopes and he has to learn from it towards the next games that Nigeria will be playing by September when they meet Rwanda.

South Africa already topping the group with 13 points but news has it that they might face points reduction sanction due to their action against FIFA rule by fielding  a player that was illegible to play in that their win against Lesotho.
If this happens, this could be a good advantage for Nigeria to redeem themselves and see to their qualifications.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c8d4vq67py1o

This is an expensive one for them and how could they use a player that is not eligible knowing well that they’re violating the rules of FIFA. I see some Nigerians in the comment section happy that if the point is reduced, Nigeria will get a chance to qualify for the World Cup. The truth of the matter is that if the point is reduced, even the teams in the second and third place on the table has the opportunity to find their place in the World Cup too and they will be more at advantage than Nigeria since they are above them in points on the group. So if Nigerians got the chance to, they need to improve their performance and make the best out of it.

[Rockstarguy]

I didn't blame Victor Osimhen because he was hoping to win the game and struggled all the way to score a goal to secure the victory and foe the qualification, only for the defense to allow the opponent goal to entered and all his effort became waste. And now Nigeria is at the Mercy of qualifying. Ghana didn't qualify in the Nations Cup, and Nigeria top their team. Ghana top their group in the World Cup Qualifiers and Nigeria is dieing in the their group.
I think it is better for me to support Morocco and other top African teams in this world Cup than wasting my time with Nigeria.

Victor Osimhen was too emotional and didn't act professionally. No matter what the case was, a team mate ran after him and was trying to console him and he treated him like an ordinary fan. I know how painful it is, but they were together in it.
I also acknowledge how Osimhen used to be so committed in football, but I do not like that public display he did.

Man you shouldn't blame Victor Osimhen because of how he acted because he wasn't expecting the match to end in a 1:1 draw. I believe Victor Osimhen will apologize to his brother and team mate Victor Boniface because the young man ran to console him but his anger and emotions stopped him from stopping to listen to him so I think they will settle when they get back to the dressing room. Victor Osimhen is a committed player which we all know but being a super star shouldn't stop him from expressing his emotions which I think he did that very day, he should be able to control himself after that and I don't think he will have any more issues after doing that.

It is unprofessional to express your anger as a footballer just because your team was not able to win the game. I know player will be happy to lose , and especially in a game they are supposed to win,  he should have been able to hide is anger because in every game there is a winner and also losser, there is no guarantee of you becoming a winner and if e eventually you are not able to win the game their Is nothing to be angry about because it is a game and ig is possible for one to lose.

This is not the first time Osimhen is showing his anger, I know he is a key players that put so mich effort in every game. He has the right to be sad if the outcome of a game is not what he expects but being angry to team mate is not the best.

[SatoPrincess]

It is unprofessional to express your anger as a footballer just because your team was not able to win the game. I know player will be happy to lose , and especially in a game they are supposed to win,  he should have been able to hide is anger because in every game there is a winner and also losser, there is no guarantee of you becoming a winner and if e eventually you are not able to win the game their Is nothing to be angry about because it is a game and ig is possible for one to lose.

This is not the first time Osimhen is showing his anger, I know he is a key players that put so mich effort in every game. He has the right to be sad if the outcome of a game is not what he expects but being angry to team mate is not the best.

It’s a pity that Nigeria drew with Zimbabwe. The defense was our Achilles’ heel. I could see the frustration in Osimhen’s eyes and the way he reacted after the game showed how much he wanted to play for his country in the World Cup. People saying Victor Osimhen was unprofessional are hypocrites and do not know anything about football. Isn’t it the same Nigerians that dragged Super Eagles players just last year for losing the AFCON final to Cote D’ivoire and the general opinion was that the players were not remorseful enough that they lost.

[Mate2237]

It is unprofessional to express your anger as a footballer just because your team was not able to win the game. I know player will be happy to lose , and especially in a game they are supposed to win,  he should have been able to hide is anger because in every game there is a winner and also losser, there is no guarantee of you becoming a winner and if e eventually you are not able to win the game their Is nothing to be angry about because it is a game and ig is possible for one to lose.

This is not the first time Osimhen is showing his anger, I know he is a key players that put so mich effort in every game. He has the right to be sad if the outcome of a game is not what he expects but being angry to team mate is not the best.

In peace and conflict resolution, conflict is also part of the peace movement. So expression of anger is part of the encouragement to other players to do well in the next game. It is painful when a player did well in a match and even scored and the back center could not protect and defend the back well until the opponent scored them. It is really painful. And as we discussed before, I also reasoned with those comments that if he scored more goals this equalizing issue wouldn't happened to them.

But the fault comes from everyone in the field that day. Both the midfielders, strikers and the defenders. They were not doing well because they didn't score more goals to balance the game.

[Lida93]

South Africa already topping the group with 13 points but news has it that they might face points reduction sanction due to their action against FIFA rule by fielding  a player that was illegible to play in that their win against Lesotho.
If this happens, this could be a good advantage for Nigeria to redeem themselves and see to their qualifications.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c8d4vq67py1o

I wonder how come the Lesotho FA didn’t catch on earlier that South Africa had an illegal player in the game. Well, it’s better late than never. Bafana Bafana are in the wrong here, they should know which of their players is eligible and which is not so they cannot claim plausible deniability.

They may not identify such at the instant but after some background work probably after the match may have ended. The interest thing about this story is that Lesotho are not pressing charges to Africa Football Federation or FIFA but it's rather Nigeria that are taking up the matter because should the consequence of the rule-break be effected against South Africa it would favour Nigeria thereby lifting their hopes on qualifying to the WC

I don’t feel sorry for Bafana Bafana because when Super Eagles played against Zimbabwe, the way South Africans and Ghanaians celebrated the Zimbabwe goal on social media as if they won the World Cup pissed me up. Now that South Africa have been have been sanctioned by the FA, let’s see who laughs last.

Honestly they deserve every sanction that will be meted on them by FIFA, they were not unaware of the FIFA rules on filling an illegible player in a match and to make things difficult for them why Nigeria is actually putting pressure on them to face the consequence of their actions was that they won  that very match taking all three points and topping the group table over all others countries in the group.

[SatoPrincess]

I don’t feel sorry for Bafana Bafana because when Super Eagles played against Zimbabwe, the way South Africans and Ghanaians celebrated the Zimbabwe goal on social media as if they won the World Cup pissed me up. Now that South Africa have been sanctioned by the FA, let’s see who laughs last.

Honestly they deserve every sanction that will be meted on them by FIFA, they were not unaware of the FIFA rules on filling an illegible player in a match and to make things difficult for them why Nigeria is actually putting pressure on them to face the consequence of their actions was that they won  that very match taking all three points and topping the group table over all others countries in the group.

Their mistake is going to cost them a lot. If Nigeria had won their match against Zimbabwe I wouldn’t be so concerned with what is happening with South Africa and Lesotho. Super Eagles is always making me talk too much, a better performance from the defense and we could have avoided all this stress of watching the other teams in the tournament to see who will drop points for us to qualify.

[Lida93]

I don’t feel sorry for Bafana Bafana because when Super Eagles played against Zimbabwe, the way South Africans and Ghanaians celebrated the Zimbabwe goal on social media as if they won the World Cup pissed me up. Now that South Africa have been sanctioned by the FA, let’s see who laughs last.

Honestly they deserve every sanction that will be meted on them by FIFA, they were not unaware of the FIFA rules on filling an illegible player in a match and to make things difficult for them why Nigeria is actually putting pressure on them to face the consequence of their actions was that they won  that very match taking all three points and topping the group table over all others countries in the group.

Their mistake is going to cost them a lot. If Nigeria had won their match against Zimbabwe I wouldn’t be so concerned with what is happening with South Africa and Lesotho. Super Eagles is always making me talk too much, a better performance from the defense and we could have avoided all this stress of watching the other teams in the tournament to see who will drop points for us to qualify.

Since after Jay-Jay Okocha Super Eagles set of 1993 to 2006 the Nigerian national first team has been on a downslide with their performance that no African side feel horror meeting the Super Eagles, else how will a small side like Zimbabwe become a hinderance to the Eagles. It was never heard of in the 90's to early 2000 but this current set of the Super Eagles despite having players that plays in top European league teams they still flop when they come home. Every WC qualifiers we now have to do calculations and hoping for the downfall of another side dropping points so we can have a chance to make it. It's really annoying!

[SatoPrincess]

I don't know what he was thinking to have made such adjustments when everything was actually going on fine for the Super Eagles. His tactical error is a big blow to Nigeria hopes and he has to learn from it towards the next games that Nigeria will be playing by September when they meet Rwanda.

South Africa already topping the group with 13 points but news has it that they might face points reduction sanction due to their action against FIFA rule by fielding  a player that was illegible to play in that their win against Lesotho.
If this happens, this could be a good advantage for Nigeria to redeem themselves and see to their qualifications.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c8d4vq67py1o

I saw this report about South Africa fielding an ineligible player even before Nigeria home match against Zimbabwe and as a Nigerian, I was relieved with that news as it'll give the Super Eagles the chance of catching up with South Africa. Wether Lesotho decides to report the matter to the right authorities or not, the issue I think is already in the public domain so I expect CAF and FIFA to swing into action, find out if the reports are true or not before acting accordingly to their findings.

These mistakes happen both in African football, Europe and other parts of the world. Remember that time in 2015 when Real Madrid were kicked out of the Copa del Rey after starting Denis Cheryshev when he should have been banned: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35010228.amp

It sucks for Bafana Bafana but the rules are clear. They will have to face the consequences of their negligence.

[Lida93]

South Africa already topping the group with 13 points but news has it that they might face points reduction sanction due to their action against FIFA rule by fielding  a player that was illegible to play in that their win against Lesotho.
If this happens, this could be a good advantage for Nigeria to redeem themselves and see to their qualifications.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c8d4vq67py1o

I saw this report about South Africa fielding an ineligible player even before Nigeria home match against Zimbabwe and as a Nigerian, I was relieved with that news as it'll give the Super Eagles the chance of catching up with South Africa. Wether Lesotho decides to report the matter to the right authorities or not, the issue I think is already in the public domain so I expect CAF and FIFA to swing into action, find out if the reports are true or not before acting accordingly to their findings.

These mistakes happen both in African football, Europe and other parts of the world. Remember that time in 2015 when Real Madrid were kicked out of the Copa del Rey after starting Denis Cheryshev when he should have been banned: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35010228.amp

It sucks for Bafana Bafana but the rules are clear. They will have to face the consequences of their negligence.

Yes this similar event happened with Real Madrid that time of the year and despite their excuse of not being aware about the situation with the said player they Madrid still received their punishment for their actions. And which is why I think and strongly believe that FIFA won't give exception to the case of the  bafana bafana of South Africa because rules of FIFA in all competitions are the same.

 I don't understand why Lesotho has refrained from pressing charges on this illegibility but wether or not Lesotho does it doesn't change the fact that South Africa has broken the rules of the game Nd it must have to apply.

[SatoPrincess]

Since after Jay-Jay Okocha Super Eagles set of 1993 to 2006 the Nigerian national first team has been on a downslide with their performance that no African side feel horror meeting the Super Eagles, else how will a small side like Zimbabwe become a hinderance to the Eagles. It was never heard of in the 90's to early 2000 but this current set of the Super Eagles despite having players that plays in top European league teams they still flop when they come home. Every WC qualifiers we now have to do calculations and hoping for the downfall of another side dropping points so we can have a chance to make it. It's really annoying!

The era of Jay-Jay Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo, Olise, Finidi George were the glory years of the Super Eagles. It was a time when Nigerians were enthusiastic about watching the Super Eagles play, back then the stadiums were packed and you would often see a large gathering in the sports viewing center just to see Nigeria play. Even down to Mikel Obi’s time, it was the same feeling but over the years the Super Eagles has fallen from being a elite team to a group of brilliant players who cannot play together.

[Zigabel]

It’s a pity that Nigeria drew with Zimbabwe. The defense was our Achilles’ heel. I could see the frustration in Osimhen’s eyes and the way he reacted after the game showed how much he wanted to play for his country in the World Cup. People saying Victor Osimhen was unprofessional are hypocrites and do not know anything about football. Isn’t it the same Nigerians that dragged Super Eagles players just last year for losing the AFCON final to Cote D’ivoire and the general opinion was that the players were not remorseful enough that they lost.

It's really painful that he did his best to keep the team in a leading position in the mid minutes of the second half of the game they couldn't hold on to the lead till the end if the game, Osimhen's frustrations is very much understandable.  Yes he may have acted unprofessional at some point expressing his dissatisfaction but he's human so we shouldn't expect he be flawless,  situations arise that even bigger player on the international scene act unprofessional,  not to justify the act but I understand his frustration as it made it looked like his efforts were wasted.

[Fiatless]

The era of Jay-Jay Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo, Olise, Finidi George were the glory years of the Super Eagles. It was a time when Nigerians were enthusiastic about watching the Super Eagles play, back then the stadiums were packed and you would often see a large gathering in the sports viewing center just to see Nigeria play. Even down to Mikel Obi’s time, it was the same feeling but over the years the Super Eagles has fallen from being a elite team to a group of brilliant players who cannot play together.

Around April 1994, the Super Eagles were ranked 5th in the FIFA Men's World, which has been its highest ranking till date. Those days when players play for pride and glory and not solely for money. Corruption in the NFF is not as high as is it today. The quality of play had reduced that it would take luck for the Super Eagles to win important games. All hope is not lost, there is still time to come back to winning ways.

[SatoPrincess]

Yes he may have acted unprofessional at some point expressing his dissatisfaction but he's human so we shouldn't expect he be flawless,  situations arise that even bigger player on the international scene act unprofessional,  not to justify the act but I understand his frustration as it made it looked like his efforts were wasted.

How did Victor Osimhen act in an unprofessional matter? Expressing emotions after a hard loss(the draw was indeed a loss for the Super Eagles) is not unprofessional. I have heard stories of Zlatan trashing the locker room when they lost and he’s still one of the most respected players till date. Osimhen didn’t even go that far yet you lot are calling him unprofessional. A lot was hanging on that game, it was painful to see Nigeria exit the World Cup like that.

[Felicity_Tide]

South Africa already topping the group with 13 points but news has it that they might face points reduction sanction due to their action against FIFA rule by fielding  a player that was illegible to play in that their win against Lesotho.
If this happens, this could be a good advantage for Nigeria to redeem themselves and see to their qualifications.

Aside the fact that it could be an advantage to anybody in that top 3 -5, I consider that act as very unprofessional. We as a continent are already facing some backlash on the quality of our competition, and now, South Africa that ought to have known better because they are not a small when it comes to professional football, are acting like novice by fielding a player that ought to miss a game. They've been great so far in the qualification, so I don't think it was necessary to act in that way. From the rumors I'm hearing, it seems to be a 3 points and 3 goals deduction, not sure yet.

[Fiatless]

Yes he may have acted unprofessional at some point expressing his dissatisfaction but he's human so we shouldn't expect he be flawless,  situations arise that even bigger player on the international scene act unprofessional,  not to justify the act but I understand his frustration as it made it looked like his efforts were wasted.

How did Victor Osimhen act in an unprofessional matter? Expressing emotions after a hard loss(the draw was indeed a loss for the Super Eagles) is not unprofessional. I have heard stories of Zlatan trashing the locker room when they lost and he’s still one of the most respected players till date. Osimhen didn’t even go that far yet you lot are calling him unprofessional. A lot was hanging on that game, it was painful to see Nigeria exit the World Cup like that.

Players are humans with emotions and can sometimes overreact in certain conditions. Victor Osimhen gives all to his team and the effect is usually anger when he is taken for granted. The Super Eagles had the opportunity to safeguard that single goal to get three points, but it was wasted. It is common for top players to act that way, especially if they sense some errors emanating from a player or coach. But this blunder was caused by the Nigerian captain Ekong, who was cheaply beaten, which resulted in that painful goal. I am not blaming Victor because he was well-pained and disappointed with the team.

[Obim34]

I don’t feel sorry for Bafana Bafana because when Super Eagles played against Zimbabwe, the way South Africans and Ghanaians celebrated the Zimbabwe goal on social media as if they won the World Cup pissed me up. Now that South Africa have been sanctioned by the FA, let’s see who laughs last.

Honestly they deserve every sanction that will be meted on them by FIFA, they were not unaware of the FIFA rules on filling an illegible player in a match and to make things difficult for them why Nigeria is actually putting pressure on them to face the consequence of their actions was that they won  that very match taking all three points and topping the group table over all others countries in the group.

Their mistake is going to cost them a lot. If Nigeria had won their match against Zimbabwe I wouldn’t be so concerned with what is happening with South Africa and Lesotho. Super Eagles is always making me talk too much, a better performance from the defense and we could have avoided all this stress of watching the other teams in the tournament to see who will drop points for us to qualify.

Still pained, haha... the final result from the match against Zimbabwe is something we can't forget in the blink of an eye. I don't expect any Nigerian to be happy if they need to reduce South Africa, we are not supposed to be fighting for eligibility into the World Cup by errors from another country. We drew four games out of six games played, nothing looks Super from the Super Eagles, we can't keep hyping them when they play in their respective clubs, then come home to do silly things that put the club in danger of qualification.