Former Super Eagles midfielder Mutiu Adepoju voiced his disappointment after Nigeria’s U‑23 side failed to qualify for both the U‑23 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Coach Salisu Yusuf’s team fell short in the final qualifying round, losing 2‑0 to Guinea in the second leg played in Rabat, Morocco, after a goalless draw in the first leg in Abuja.
The African U‑23 AFCON serves as the qualifying tournament for the 2024 Olympic Games, so the defeat also eliminates Nigeria from the men’s football competition in Paris. Adepoju, a veteran of three World Cups, criticized the squad selection for the qualifiers, suggesting that some of the invited players were below the required standard.
“It’s very sad because we have not participated in the past two Olympics, and we used to be very, very strong in the Olympics—we won in Atlanta 1996 and did well in Beijing 2008. Not qualifying for the 2024 Olympics is very sad,” Adepoju told Sports Extra. “I do not want to believe it’s wrong selection of players, because I believe the coaches know what they are doing and know the players, but probably the players the coach picked were not up to the task.”
Comments are closed for this story.