Live reports: Criticism surrounds Eagles loss

We serve you  minute by minute account of happenings here in Tunisia concerning the Super Eagles of Nigeria.....we also caught up Coach Chukwu and team Captain Austin Okocha.

Sports Minister, Musa Ibrahim came visiting yesterday and completely lashed the team for their below standard performance, but team captain Okocha however promised they were going for victory in their next two matches to qualify.

Nigeria embassy here in Tunisia,had prepared Nigerian dishes like Tuwo, fried rice,vegetables,assorted meat, stew and others for the team's dinner obviously to celebrate an anticipated victory which never came. The food was well consumed anyway despite the sad loss.

NFA chairman,Ibrahim Galadima took the defeat like a muslim and he is already looking ahead to the next match although he expressed some personal opinions like the non effectiveness of Yakubu and perhaps the slow nature of Kanu,suggesting he would have been more effective if introduced in the second half.

Coach Chukwu continues to hammer on the boy’s non commitment as the reason for the defeat,but he refuses to single out anybody for blame.

Assistant coach of the super eagles, Austin Eguavoen insits Pius Ikedia was shaky from the start and that the boys refused to show even 75 percent of what they give to their clubs.

Ogunjobi arrived Monastir this morning looking dejected while the Eagles allowance for 2 weeks will be payed today the NFA Secretary General came with the money to sort allowances, and it is for the one week they have spent here and the next one week remaining for the group games.

Loyal Tunisian fans remain sad over the Eagles defeat and are still asking why the Eagles played so badly.

According to Sabir "Nigeria were overconfidence and Utaka number 7 played good football" but prayed for an Eagles victory against South Africa to shame his critics at the CAFE Monastir beach.

Lahla,Muhammed and Tahir, wondered why Kanu was so ordinary,asking if he was sick or something.

Nabir spoke in rhethorics instead " Is this Nigeria or another country? am sad cos we love your country"

Ifeanyi Udeze wept openly over the Eagles loss yesterday, the defender ruled out of the first two games.

The Nigeria football supporters club arrived very late,due to logistcs and flight delay whilst the 70 tickets,procured for them by the NFA for yesterday's game became a total waste.They were still
in their flight when the game came to an end as they arrived Monastir at about 5.30pm from Nigeria.

Meanwhile, over 25 Journalists were also on the flight and they wonder what went wrong in the game relying on Tunisian police and immigration officers for their opinion on the game.

Chukwu and his boys arrived for training this afternoon and angry Tunisian fans showed their anger over Yakubu Aiyegbeni's performance yesterday whilst hailing Celestine Babayaro's splendid play.

                                        Chukwu's Reaction......

Coach what happened today?
  ANS:My boys underated the Moroccans,I told them before the game all these things but it was a different thing entirely on the field.We just have to approach our next two matches seriously,all hope is not yet lost.....

Do you think the lateness in reporting to camp by your boys accounted for
todays result....?
   ANS: No I don't think so,we prepared well for this match,it was just
unfortunate......

Don't U think your boys are too young or relatively inexperienced for
this Tournament?
  ANS: No I don't think so too,look my boys just were too soft today.

Is their still hope?
    ANS: Of course we have to win our next two games and see how it all goes,we will follow  the South African match and plan our match strategy.

DO you have to watch the South Africans before U plan ur strategy?
   ANS: Do U fight the person U do not know!!!!

                                 OKocha's Reaction......

Are U dissapointed by todays outcome?
    JJ: We are obviously dissapointed by the outcome of the game.We thought it was
going to go our way but it was not just to be!!!!

But what would you say accounted for the defeat?
   ANS: I think we didn't play up to our usual self....we particularly
didn't have a good first half and generally I think we took the opposition too lightly....

Is there still hope?
   ANS: Ofcourse all hope is not yet lost,we just have to win our next two
matches and then we wait and see.