The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has publicly rebuked forward Cyriel Dessers and defender William Troost-Ekong following Nigeria’s disappointing 1–1 draw against South Africa in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
In an unusually candid match report, the NFF described Dessers as “too slow to latch onto passes,” ineffective in aerial duels, and failing to invigorate the Super Eagles’ attack. The striker, substituted at halftime, bore the brunt of official criticism.
Defensive lapses by Ekong also drew sharp rebuke. The report called out his own goal as an unforgivable error that jeopardised the team’s qualification ambitions.
In its post-match statement made available to journalists on Tuesday by the NFF Director of Communications, Dr Ademola Olajire, the NFF singled out Dessers, who was withdrawn at half-time, for particular criticism.
“Cyriel Dessers, who had an unimpressive game in Uyo where he turned out to be a substitute that was substituted, did not have a better game as he was too slow to latch onto passes, could not win aerial balls and did little in bringing alive the Nigerian attack,” the statement read.
The statement also faulted skipper Troost-Ekong for handing the Bafana Bafana the opener.
“The Super Eagles’ fighting spirit was diminished for a period after team captain William Ekong inadvertently swept the ball into his own net in the 25th minute, wrong-footing Stanley Nwabali to give the Bafana the lead and great impetus,” the statement noted.
The federation, however, praised Calvin Bassey for his resilience after the Fulham defender grabbed Nigeria’s equaliser just before the break.
“Defender Calvin Bassey showed immense fighting spirit and resilience to get Nigeria back into the game with a minute left of the first period, when he ran with the ball upfront. The ball found Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, whose pull-out Bassey met firmly to nod past Ronwen Williams for the leveller,” the federation added.
But it reserved more criticism for the team’s second-half display.
Despite dominating possession in the second half, the NFF lamented that the Eagles “delivered little,” noting that substitutes Tolu Arokodare and Dele-Bashiru failed to convert late opportunities.
The draw leaves Nigeria with 11 points from eight matches in Group C, while South Africa remain top with 17.
The Super Eagles must now beat Lesotho and Benin Republic in their remaining fixtures and also hope rivals drop points to stand any chance of reaching next year’s World Cup in North America.
The federation’s unusually direct public chastisement has sparked outrage among fans—many calling the remarks “shameless” and warning they could derail team morale ahead of crucial final matches.
