TheCable

Amaju Pinnick, president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has charged the Super Eagles to beat Sierra Leone by four goals to nothing in the second leg in Freetown on Tuesday.

Pinnick was speaking with the whole squad in the dressing room on Friday, shortly after they surrendered their 4 goal-lead to draw the game against the Leone Stars in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in Benin city.

“If there is anything that will make us be that proud footballing nation, it’s for us to go to Sierra Leone and beat them 4-0,” the NFF president challenged the team in a video shared on the Eagles YouTube page.

“The beauty about falling down is resurgent enough to bounce back. Bounce back in a grand style because what you have done is that you have given them confidence that Nigeria is beatable.

“We must go to Freetown and beat them at least four goals so that they will know truly the Eagles have landed.

“So we should double our effort and go to Freetown and win that game by 4-0 because it is very symbolic so that they will know that what happened in Nigeria was a fluke.

“It’s not just winning, winning is an understatement, it’s to make sure we give them that 4-0 and make sure they don’t score even one, that is the only thing we will do from the blast of the whistle till the end of the game.

“I will say it the way it is in my heart and the heart of so many Nigerians. The truth is that we can’t be leading 4-0 against Sierra Leone and concede four goals for no reason.

“If it was just a scoreless draw, it would have been a different ball game, from the defence to the midfield off, also the attack.

“Since I became the NFF president this is the worst result I’ve seen in my life. Next few days I wonder how I’m going to sleep.

“It’s not because of losing or we won’t qualify for the Nations Cup, it’s certainly because this is towards the end of the year, you know the passion and love Nigerians have for this game.”