Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina says those blaming President Muhammadu Buhari for the Super Eagles’ loss to Tunisia in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) were being “silly, idiotic and imbecilic”.
Ahead of the Super Eagles’ crunch encounter with Tunisia in the Round of 16 last Sunday, President Buhari had a video call with the team and encouraged them to “fly” and make Nigerians happy.
However, the reverse was the case as Austin Eguavoen’s team fell to a shock 1-0 defeat and was knocked out of the tournament in which they were touted as favourites.
Many fans that took to social media, especially Twitter, linked the loss to President Buhari’s video call, recounting how British-Nigerian boxer, Anthony Joshua lost his heavyweight belts after meeting the Nigerian president.
But in an article published on Friday, Adesina said that the same Nigerians would have blamed the president if he did not call to motivate the team and the Super Eagles still lost.
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“I have read many silly, idiotic and imbecilic comments, trying to link the loss to the video conference the President had with the players on Sunday morning. Witless. Thoughtless. And incidentally, if the Super Eagles had gone into the match without encouragement from their President, the same people would have come out to condemn the leader of the country for being taciturn and insensitive. Head or tail, you never win with some Nigerians,” the presidential aide wrote.
In the article titled, “Losing is part of the game,” Adesina wrote: “Soccer-loving Nigerians were heartbroken last Sunday when the Super Eagles of Nigeria could not fly higher than the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia in the second round match of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament holding in Cameroon.
“Nigerians were full of expectations. The Super Eagles players were confident. President Muhammadu Buhari had done what the father of the nation should do, engaging in a video conference earlier in the day to ginger the players. Alas, Nigeria lost the game by a lone goal, and exited the tournament.
“Nobody likes to lose in a keen contest, whether political, economic, domestic, professional, or in sports. Winning is exhilarating, gives a feel-good sensation, and generally sends the adrenaline pumping. But you know what? Losing is part of the game. Any game, all games. We may comfort ourselves by saying no victor, no vanquished, but the real truth is that somebody loses. A team loses. It is ineluctable.
“I follow football a lot, and apart from our local and national teams, I also pay attention to the English Premiership League (EPL), where Manchester City currently leads its closest rival, Liverpool FC by nine points.
In October, Man City had been beaten 2-0 by less fancied Crystal Palace, and right at Etihad Stadium, home base of the league leaders. It was something akin to sacrilege.
“Pep Guardiola is possibly the best coach in the world today, and handles Manchester City. When he was interviewed after the Crystal Palace debacle, he just shrugged, and said; “Losing is part of the game.” True.
“We want to win at all times. We don’t want to be worsted, or have our nose bloodied at all. But life is not so. You win some, and you lose some. That was what happened to Nigeria last Sunday, though rather painfully.”