Ahmed Musa blames betting for fans’ attacks on struggling Super Eagles

Ahmed Musa has accused betting impact on fans’ sentiments, noting that criticisms directed at the team often stem from disgruntled bettors whose wagers are affected by match outcomes.

The “governor” as popularly called believes that many Nigerian fans do not support the Super Eagles out of genuine passion for the game but rather due to their vested interests in betting activities.

The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar despite having some of the best legs in the continent and were knocked up from the last AFCON by Tunisia in the Round of 16 despite having won all their group matches.

However, to avoid the same ordeal and rule the continent again for the fourth time, the team has now adopted the ‘Let’s Do It Again’ mantra, aimed at securing the title in Ivory Coast next year.

The former Leicester City star expressed the pressure faced by his family when the Super Eagles suffered defeat.

“I love this country and I know whenever we lose, I have a family back home; I know the pressure they face when we lose,” Musa speaking during the unveiling in Lagos.

“When we are on the pitch, they say ‘na him mother be this, go insult am (this is his mother, insult her). So, I know I must put in everything I have so that people don’t insult my family.

“Nowadays, with the players we have in the team, none of them stay in Nigeria. They don’t know the anger that most of us, who have families in Nigeria, face when the team loses.

“Nowadays, I understand what football is and the anger of the fans. Most of them don’t support Super Eagles because they like them, they will say, ‘hey dem don cut my ticket, give me my money’ (hey they’ve spoiled my ticket, refund my money).

“You will see on most of our DMs ‘you cut my ticket, you no sabi play’ (you spoiled my ticket, you don’t know how to play), it’s because they are bettors. Before, you will see the love and passion for the team but nowadays, betting has spoiled everything.

“We lost a lot of money and that is why most of our players right now are facing challenges because we failed to qualify for the [2022] World Cup. So, we as players lost so much money.

“No matter where you are playing, you always go down into your corner to think when you lose money.”