How Super Eagles Players Sabotaged Nigeria’s Performance At 2002 W/Cup, Says Onigbinde

A former Super Eagles coach Adegboye Onigbinde has claimed that the players deliberately conceded goals at the 2002 World Cup game matches.

This news medium understands that Nigeria were in the same group with Argentina, Sweden and England for the global football showpiece in Korea/Japan.

The Eagles, however, managed to draw one match – against England – at the competition after losing out in their first two encounters with Argentina and Sweden.

Some players revolted against the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over unpaid bonuses/allowances during the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Mali which led to the disbandment of players.

And the coach of the team to the competition, Onigbinde has lamented taking some disbanded players to the World Cup.

“I blame myself and truly, I this is perhaps one of my biggest regrets in 2002,” he told Brila FM. “Those players who were disbanded in 2002 at the Cup of Nations in Mali, I shouldn’t have invited some of them for the World Cup.

“They sabotaged our World Cup and I know, some of them not all.

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“We could have won against Argentina and perhaps qualified beyond the group stage. The two goals we conceded against Sweden also, they were deliberate.”

He added: “And you see, that’s why in the last game against England, I change the entire team. That’s when we picked Enyeama and we did fantastically well.

“It was among the senior players we invited from the disbanded team in Mali, but not Okocha (Jay Jay) or Kanu (Nwankwo), they were committed and they gave a hundred per cent.”