Asisat Oshoala Reacts After NFF Singled Out Cyriel Dessers for Criticism vs South Africa
- Super Falcons star Asisat Oshoala has hit out at the Nigeria Football Federation over Cyriel Dessers' treatment
- NFF’s official match report had a paragraph which singled out the Panathinaikos forward for his performance
- The striker started against South Africa after replacing the injured Victor Osimhen during the 1-0 win over Rwanda
Super Falcons star Asisat Oshoala has condemned the Nigeria Football Federation for the treatment of Cyriel Dessers after the 1-1 draw against South Africa.
Dessers replaced Victor Osimhen in the 35th minute after the Galatasaray forward got injured in the first half of the 1-0 win over Rwanda in Uyo, and made way for William Troost-Ekong in the 87th minute.
Source: Getty Images
Eric Chelle chose Dessers to lead the line from the start against South Africa, but was substituted at halftime and replaced by Tolu Arokodare, who scored against Rwanda.
As seen in a publication on the NFF's official website, the report criticised the Belgian-born forward for his performance in the 1-1 draw.
“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 reads.
The statement drew the ire of Nigerians, who, despite the disappointing result, believe that it was a collective responsibility and no player should be publicly berated by the official channels.
Asisat Oshoala hits out at NFF
Super Falcons forward Asisat Oshoala was far from impressed with the NFF’s statement and hit out at the federation for the targeted comment.
“SMH, it be your own people sometimes 🤦🏾♀️😡😡. Protect your players ❌ set them up for drags ✅,” she wrote on her Instagram story.
Cyriel Dessers' journey in the Super Eagles
Cyriel Dessers was one of the dual nationality players former head coach Gernot Rohr convinced to switch allegiance and play for the Super Eagles.
Dessers was born in Belgium to a Belgian father and a Nigerian mother and did not play for any country at the youth level, making Belgium's U21 squad once.
He made his debut on March 4, 2020, in a friendly match against Tunisia and featured in other friendly games, but not in any competitive games.
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The former Rangers forward has scored three goals, two of which came against Ghana, including in the Unity Cup, a friendly tournament held in London in June.
As noted by ESPN, his 57-minute appearance against Rwanda was his first competitive match for the Nigerian national team, more than five years after his debut.
However, his future with the Super Eagles remains shaky after NFF’s recent comments, even though he has yet to react to the incident.
Nigerians react to NFF's comments
Legit.ng reported that Nigerians reacted to NFF’s comment, which singled out Cyriel Dessers for criticism after the 1-1 draw against South Africa.
Though the fans admitted that the striker's performance was subpar, the criticism should not have come directly from the federation’s official channels.
Source: Legit.ng
