Former Super Eagles defender, Ifeanyi Udeze, has criticised the Nigeria B team for prioritising personal glory over team play in their opening match at the 2024 African Nations Championship.
The home-based Eagles fell 1-0 to defending champions Senegal in a tightly contested Group D encounter, with Christian Gomis capitalising on a defensive error to seal the win for the Teranga Lions in the 75th minute.
The result leaves Nigeria bottom of the group standings, after Sudan and Congo shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw earlier in the day.
Speaking on Brila FM in the aftermath of the defeat, Udeze blamed the players’ approach, accusing them of playing for individual recognition rather than collective success.
“Eric Chelle must now play the role of a psychologist, he needs to tell the players to play as a team and stop playing individual football because this is a tournament,” Udeze stated. “They see this tournament as an opportunity to sell themselves to foreign clubs.”
Despite his criticism, the 2002 FIFA World Cup star remains optimistic about the team’s chances of advancing, if they adjust their mindset.
“I saw a lot of mistakes and I believe Eric Chelle also saw the mistakes but I still have hope they will come out of the group but like I said they need to play more as a team and stop playing individual football,” he added.
The Super Eagles B will be aiming to revive their campaign when they face Sudan on August 12.
