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Nigeria/Côte d'Ivoire: Eagles Relish Victory, Shun Journalists
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Vanguard (Lagos)
31 January 2008
Posted to the web 31 January 2008
Tony Ubani
Lagos
The Once Supper Eagles of Nigeria are still relishing their 2-0 victory over Benin but not with open hearts as they have drawn the battle line with Nigerian Journalists. The Eagles have been strongly criticised by the Nigerian Press for poor performance here.
They lost to Cote d'Ivoire, drew with Mali and finally earned a victory over Benin. They celebrated their victory with pomp but refused to talk to the Nigerian press as a revenge. FA Vice Chairman, Amanze Uchegbulam who was equally relieved by the victory said the Nigerian players were highly disciplined.
"They are human beings and were scared with messages they got from back home. Some of their Parents called to warn them that people were either threatening to kill or burn their properties.
We need to be a little careful with these players. They want to succeed. I don't think that any one of them would leave his club and not want to do well", Uchegbulam said at the end of the match. At the mixed zone where players and journalists interact after each match, the Nigerian players ignored tape recorders, microphones as they walked straight to their bus without uttering a word to the Journalists.
"The players held a meeting and decided that they would not talk to the press anymore. But we are talking to them and we hope that now that we have qualified for the quarter-finals, they would change.
"We are all in this together and we have to work together. But the media have to understand that these players are human beings too and it hurts them when they hear all these bad things being written and said about them.
"No player goes on the pitch to play badly or lose. But football is football and sometimes things don't go the way you want them to go. We expect the media to give the team support rather than trying to tear them down", Idah said.
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However, it was the Ivory Coast that did them the favour of beating Mali 3-0 in the other Group B clash, allowing the Super Eagles to breathe again.
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