Former Super Eagles midfielder Sunday Oliseh has taken aim at the Nigerian players, questioning their jubilant celebrations after the bronze medal playoff victory over Egypt at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, SportPremi reports.
The Super Eagles defeated Egypt on penalties to clinch bronze medal at the tournament in Morocco, sparking jubilant scenes among the players.
The three-time African had suffered an agonizing penalty shootout defeat to the hosts in their semifinal clash, which ended their hopes of reaching a second consecutive AFCON final and leaves them waiting for a fourth African title.
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Despite the disappointment, they enjoyed an impressive tournament, winning six of their seven matches including a 4-0 win over Mozambique in the Round of 16, which represented the biggest margin of victory at the tournament.
The Super Eagles also scored a tournament-high 14 goals, which was just two behind Ivory Coast’s tally of 16 at the 2008 African Cup of Nations tournament.
Oliseh slams bronze medal celebrations
Sunday Oliseh, who was among the 1994 African Cup of Nations winning squad for Nigeria was unimpressed by the team’s bronze medal celebrations in Morocco.
The former Nigerian head coach believes a gold medal should be the major target and expressed disappointment over the fallen standards of the national team.
“Before the final in Rabat, a video went viral of our superheroes celebrating widely for winning third place against Egypt,” Oliseh said.
“In the media tribune, where I sat, I watched as African and European pundits mocked us. They couldn’t believe it. There was a time when the Super Eagles shed tears at second place. Because to us, anything but the trophy was a failure. Celebrating third place builds a culture of mediocrity.
We must remember, the decline of our dominance began exactly when we started being content with bronze,” he continued.
“If we want to be Africa’s best again, the wild celebration for anything less than gold must stop immediately.”
Oliseh also criticized the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) appeal against DR Congo, in a bid to reach the FIFA World Cup later this year.
The Super Eagles lost the CAF playoff final to the Leopards last November and have since filed a petition to FIFA over the eligibility of some of their opponent’s players.
“We failed to qualify for the World Cup on the pitch. Where it actually matters”, Oliseh added.
“Instead of looking in the mirror, and taking responsibility, we see this desperate protest to FIFA against the DR Congo. Have we not realized what is happening here? Since the announcement of this protest, the conversation has shifted. Many are no longer pointing fingers at those truly responsible for our failure. Instead, they are cursing DR Congo.”
