Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa, has today expressed his passionate feelings about the role fans and the media play in compelling most players to retire from the team even when they are still needed.
“We have a lot of players who have retired but are still needed in the Super Eagles team” Musa told the media while reacting to the current performance of the Super Eagles at the Let’s Do It Again session.
“Players like Mikel Obi and Victor Moses are still needed in the team but they had to retire due to pressure from the media”. “It is not about having young players, we also need older ones to take them along but right now we do not have such players in the team to take them along” Musa noted.
“After playing most times, I go to my social media and see fans insulting me and you read things like “Fuck You”, “Musa is old go and retire”. “The truth is I started playing in the Super Eagles when I was very young at about 19, and I feel privileged each time I wear the national team’s jersey and I love my country that is why I give my best whenever I have the opportunity to play for Nigeria”.
“I also know that I have a family back home and I know the pressure they encounter on the road from fans”. “When my mother is walking on the road, you will hear comments like, Na him mother be that make we insult am” he continued.
“And that is why whenever I go into the pitch I give my best so that no one will insult my family because they live here in Nigeria”. “But it is not same with this current crop of players because most of them do not stay in Nigeria”. “These young players do not know the anger and how we feel whenever when we lose and may not be able to manage the pressure from the media”.
“I wept bitterly when we did not qualify for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, and I also know what the then President of the NFF did”.
He appealed that these attitude exhibited by fans and the media is very discouraging and may not go down well if we need to get the best from these crop of young players in the Super Eagles players who don’t leave in Nigeria with their parents as well.
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