CHAN 2024: Brown Ideye slams Super Eagles’ quality after heavy defeat to Sudan

By Wale Mustapha

Former Nigeria striker and 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winner, Brown Ideye, has sharply criticized the quality of the Nigerian national team after their dismal 4-0 defeat to Sudan at the ongoing African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024 on Tuesday.

The defeat, which marks Nigeria’s second consecutive loss in the competition, sealed their early exit from the tournament, confirming their inability to progress past the group stages.

In their opening match, the Super Eagles suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to Senegal, the defending champions.

While the loss to Senegal was a tight encounter, the game against Sudan revealed serious deficiencies in the Eagles’ performance. Sudan capitalized on defensive lapses and exploited Nigeria’s weaknesses, handing them a humiliating 4-0 loss.

Ideye, reacting to the team’s poor showing, took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his frustration, urging both players and officials to stop making excuses for the team’s performance.

“Let’s stop lying to ourselves and keep blaming someone else every time we fail. We’re not good enough, that’s the bitter truth,” Ideye posted.

The former West Bromwich Albion forward did not hold back, adding that the current crop of players may not have the necessary quality to compete at the top level. He emphasized that the coach can only work with the available squad, but the onus was on the players to raise their game.

“It’s clear to me that the team needs to step up. The coach can only do so much, but the players need to take responsibility,” Ideye stated.

Ideye’s criticism comes as a bitter pill to swallow for the Nigerian football community, which had hoped for a strong showing in the continental competition. With their exit confirmed, questions are now being raised about the future of the Super Eagles’ development and the state of local football in Nigeria.

As the dust settles on Nigeria’s early exit, all eyes will now be on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to address the concerns raised by former players and pundits alike, and to chart a course for the future of the national team.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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