Coaching Crew To Blame For Eagles‘ AFCON Final Defeat —Taribo
Legendary Nigerian defender Taribo West has accused the coaching staff lead by Jose Peseiro of being to blame for the Super Eagles’ 2023 AFCON final defeat to Côte d’Ivoire.
The Eagles’ chances of winning a fourth AFCON championship were destroyed by a 2-1 defeat to the Ivorians.
The Eagles played a forgettable game, finishing the stalemate on Sunday as the second-best team.
Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller’s goals helped the hosts rally after William Troost-Ekong gave them the lead.
Commenting on why the Eagles struggled against the hosts Taribo, said on Brila FM: “I hold the bench responsible for the loss to Côte d’Ivoire. In 1990 Nigeria lost 5-1 to Algeria in the opening game but in the final it was a different ball game.
“Though the Algerians won 1-0 in the final they realised it was a different Nigerian team to the one they faced earlier in the competition.
“I remember when we faced Brazil at the Olympics, they beat us in the group stage but when we met again in the semi-final, even though they were 3-1 up we were still able to comeback. They knew they were up against another Nigerian side.
“For me, the coaching crew should have come up with another strategy after meeting Côte d’Ivoire again.”
It remains to be seen if Peseiro’s contract will be renewed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
