Francis Uzoho respond to critics despite costly errors for Nigeria

Nigeria goalkeeper Francis Uzoho has responded to his critics after he came under fire due to errors he made in the country’s international friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique.

The Omonia SC stopper committed two blunders in the two games, that led to an angry outburst of emotions from fans.

Although the Super Eagles won the game scoring three goals, defeating Mozambique 3-2, Nigerian fans believe Uzoho is making mistakes on purpose and should be investigated for match fixing, betting, and bribery.

The game marked Nigeria’s first International friendly win for the first time in five years, after remaining winless in their last fifteen friendly outings.

Meanwhile, Uzoho has not been having playing time at his club side since his performance against Manchester United in the Europa League last October.

However, Jose Peseiro has remained adamant about keeping Francis Uzoho as the national team’s first choice and not even evaluating other goalkeepers.

Since, the exit of Carl Ikeme, Nigeria’s goalkeeping department has been struggling to find a suitable replacement. South Africa-based goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi was the target of severe criticisms on social media as the Super Eagles emerged third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt in July.

Maduka Okoye, who was in goal when Nigeria lost to Tunisia in the last-16 of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, was hounded by fans on social media with comments ranging from trolling over his looks to death wishes upon him and his loved ones.

Uzoho’s performance has come under scrutiny, especially considering that he conceded two free-kick goals in this match.

In response to critics, the 24-year-old goalkeeper took to his Snapchat story posting a picture of himself with the message; “Do it if it’s easy”.