A former aide of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, and 2019 presidential aspirant Omoyele Sowore have blamed President Muhammadu Buhari for Super Eagles of Nigeria’s defeat at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
Recall that on Sunday, January 23, 2022, the national team of Nigeria faced the National team of Tunisia in the 2021 AFCON round of 16. Ahead of the game, it was expected that Nigeria which finished top of Group D after three successive wins, would walkover Tunisia which finished as the best losers in their group.
To the dismay of many supporters of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Tunisia’s Youssef Msakni scored from outside the eighteen yard box. After the goal, Nigeria’s effort to score the equalizer failed, hence, Tunisia knocked out Nigeria by a lone goal.
Hours before the game, the president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari had a video call with the national team to wish the players well. He urged the team to keep winning for the country.
“You’ve been doing Nigeria proud”, the president said ahead of the game. “You’ve been winning. Please keep on winning. The Federal Government is supporting you, and I say thank you to all the technical crew and the players. Please keep doing the country proud.”
The interim coach of the team, Austin Eguavoen assured the president that his team would make him and the country proud. Unfortunately for the country, Eguavoen and his team could not make good on the promise.
After the news broke that president Buhari called the Super Eagles to wish them well ahead of the round of 16 game, Reno Omokri took to his Facebook page to agitate why the Nigeria Football Federation allowed Buhari to speak to the team.
He wrote: “Oh oh! Why did NFF allow Buhari to speak with the Super Eagles players now! What is wrong with NFF? Have they forgotten what happened after he spoke to Anthony Joshua? Or our Eagles in the last AFCON? Please we want to win.
“Who has Buhari spoken to and they won? Our boys need to be focused. They don’t need any distraction. This nonsense must not repeat itself! If Buhari wants to call anybody, let him call Tinubu. Enough is enough!”
Also, Omoyele Sowore took to his verified Facebook page to claim that the president had passed his bad luck on the national team.
He wrote: “Just heard Muhammadu Buhari just passed his bad luck to Nigeria’s Super Eagles! We are working hard to neutralize it! #RevolutionNow.”
After the 1-0 defeat that ended Nigeria’s journey in the 2021 AFCON, Reno Omokri took to his Facebook page again to write: “Buhari is the reason Tunisia defeated Nigeria so disastrously
“Iwobi red card, Iheanacho yellow card. All the time they have been playing this never happened. Why is it that it is the day they spoke to Buhari that these series of unwelcome events rained on us?
“Energies are very contagious. Avoid negative people.”
Also, Sowore returned to his Facebook page after Tunisia had knocked out Nigeria to write: “Muhammadu Buhari is bad luck for Super Eagles and Nigeria as a whole! I said it! #RevolutionNow.”
Meanwhile, the assistant coach of Tunisia, Jalel Kadri said his team defeated the Super Eagles of Nigeria because Tunisia succeeded in preventing Nigeria’s right and left-wingers Moses Simon and Samuel Chukwueze from playing their usual fast-paced game.
“We know Nigeria are very strong and very fast in the wings,” Kadri said at the post-match press conference.
“We came up with tactics to put pressure on the Nigerian wingers because they are very dangerous. And we also know they have difficulties when they lose the ball.”
