President Bola Tinubu has challenged the Super Eagles to enhance their performance and finish higher in the final phases of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
Tinubu’s message was delivered by the Minister of Sports, John Enoh, who spoke with the players from Abuja via Zoom on Wednesday night in Abidjan.
According to Enoh, the President was not impressed by the team’s performance during the group stage.
He said
“I had a meeting with the President yesterday. I went to the villa for something else and the President cornered me and said we (Eagles) managed to qualify and I said that’s how we are going to keep going until we win the tournament.
“He said that I should tell the players that he wasn’t too impressed with the last match but he knows that now that they are off the group stages, they are going to impress him more.
“That’s what the President told me and it means that the President is actually watching your matches. Would you believe this? And the President is urging you and also showing an understanding of the game because he knows that there is a lot of caution at the group stage and from the round of 16, you are going to be more impressive.
“I remember that in 2022 in Cameroon, Egypt as a country struggled to qualify but they went ahead to play the finals.”
Responding, team captain, Ahmed Musa, thanked the sports minister but also called on the President to come to see them play live saying it would serve as a motivation to the players.
The Super Eagles will play the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the last 16 of the tournament on Saturday at the Felix Houphouet -Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.