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Bonfrere condemns Nigeria’s 3-0 loss to Guinea-Bissau as ‘unbelievable’
Former Nigeria coach Johannes Bonfrere has described the Super Eagles’ 3-0 defeat by Guinea-Bissau in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier as “unbelievable” and criticised Eric Chelle’s explanation for the result.
Nigeria, three-time winners of the competition, were beaten by Guinea-Bissau’s Djurtus at the 20,000-capacity Estadio 24 de Setembro in Bissau on Tuesday.
Bonfrere, 80, said the loss was “shameful” and “disappointing” when speaking from his home in the Netherlands on Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s absolutely unbelievable that Guinea-Bissau could defeat the Super Eagles 3-0,” he told Completesports.com.
“Nigeria losing 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau? That’s ‘shameful’, very ‘disappointing’. It shows how low Nigerian football has fallen.”
The Dutchman also rejected the reasons offered by Chelle, who blamed the poor condition of the pitch and bad weather for Nigeria’s performance.
“That’s a stupid excuse,” said Bonfrere, who helped Nigeria win the men’s football gold medal at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games.
“We once played against Eritrea in Asmara on April 9, 2000, and got a draw despite the bad pitch and weather.
“You trained on the pitch before the game. When the pitch is bad, when the weather is bad, you change tactics. That’s the work of the coach.”
Bonfrere said the defeat was damaging not only to the national team but also to the wider image of Nigerian football.
He was part of the Nigeria coaching set-up when the country won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia and made their FIFA World Cup debut in the United States of America. He later led the Super Eagles to the silver medal at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations.
The former coach also questioned the Nigeria Football Federation’s decision to keep Chelle in charge after Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Nigeria had still been in contention for qualification through the play-offs as the third-best team, despite Chelle not having started the campaign.
“It’s ridiculous, he’s still there,” Bonfrere said.
“Nigeria did not go to the World Cup despite having a chance as the third-best team to go through the play-offs.
“Yes, he did not start the qualifiers, but when he came, Nigeria had a chance through the play-offs. But he didn’t.
“It’s unbelievable the federation (NFF) went for a coach from Mali to lead the Super Eagles.”
Bonfrere’s comments followed a result he said reflected a broader decline in Nigeria, arguing that the country was “not only sinking football-wise but also economically”.