NFF president Amaju Pinnick said the only way the Super Eagles can appease football fans in the country is to go to Freetown and beat Sierra Leone 4-0 in the return leg of the 2021 AFCON qualifiers on Tuesday.
The Eagles shockingly surrendered a four-goal lead to draw 4-4 against the Leone Stars.
Speaking to the players inside their dressing room, Pinnick described it as the worst result he has experienced as NFF chairman.
“I will say it the way it is in my heart and the heart of so many Nigerians. The truth is that we can’t be leading 4-0 against Sierra Leone and concede four goals for no reason,” Pinnick said in a video with the players published on the Super Eagles YouTube channel.
“Since I became the NFF president this is the worst result I’ve seen in my life. Next few days I wonder how I’m going to sleep. It’s not because of losing or we won’t qualify for the Nations Cup, it’s certainly because this is towards the end of the year, you know the passion and love Nigerians have for this game.
“It’s football, it can go either way but what happened to us? Were we complacent? Were we so comfortable that we were leading 4-0 and all of a sudden the goals start coming in? At the end of the day, nobody is going to call your name, it’s the coach and Amaju Pinnick. That is the truth. Unfortunately, he is not the one on the pitch. I saw the reaction of your captain after they score the fourth goal and I shed tears for the first time in a long time.
