The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has distanced itself from a controversial press release that harshly blamed Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong and striker Cyriel Dessers for Nigeria’s 1-1 draw with South Africa, a result that has left the country’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign in jeopardy.
The statement, which circulated on Tuesday night under the name of the Federation’s Communications Department, accused Dessers of falling “far below international standard” and labeled him a “major factor” in the team’s failure to secure maximum points in Bloemfontein. It also faulted Troost-Ekong’s defensive display, sparking outrage among fans and stakeholders.
But NFF General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, has disowned the release, insisting it was never authorized by the federation.
“It was a painful result, but as a believer, I know that whatever comes is from God. We are not happy, and we apologize to all Nigerians. But I saw the press release the same way everyone else did. The NFF did not authorize anyone to publish such a statement,” Sanusi said.
Sanusi stressed that no individual player should be singled out for blame in a team sport.
“We are proud of our players,” he said. “When we win, it is a collective effort, and when we lose, it is the same. Blaming individuals is not acceptable. Both Troost-Ekong and Dessers have contributed significantly to Nigerian football, and they deserve our respect, not condemnation.”
The disputed release had gone as far as contrasting Dessers’ display with the “resilience” of other teammates such as Calvin Bassey, whose surging run led to the equalizer, and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, who created chances. It concluded by hinting that Dessers’ national team future was in doubt and piled pressure on head coach Eric Chelle to drop him ahead of next month’s must-win clash against Lesotho.
Sanusi described the episode as “deeply unfortunate” and confirmed that the federation is investigating the origin of the statement, promising disciplinary action against those responsible.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s qualification hopes remain fragile. With just 11 points from eight matches, the Super Eagles risk missing back-to-back World Cups, having also failed to qualify for Qatar 2022.