TheCable

Kenneth Omeruo, Super Eagles defender, says the team’s goalkeepers are under immense pressure and need support from Nigerians. 

Omeruo spoke on Wednesday in a press conference ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Lesotho.

Francis Uzoho, Super Eagles goalkeeper, has been under fire in recent months over his performance in Nigeria’s past two international friendlies.

The goalkeeper’s performance in the 2-2 draw against Saudi Arabia in October was particularly criticised.

Uzoho conceded two goals from the Arabians’ three shots on target in the game. On social media, Nigerians blamed him for the first goal after the goalkeeper parried a seemingly harmless freekick from Salman Al-Faraj into his net.

Speaking on the situation, Omeruo urged Nigerians not to dismiss Uzoho’s best games over “one or two mistakes”.

He added that players believe Uzoho “is the best goalkeeper that we have”.

The defender praised the goalkeeper’s mentality, adding that “if not that he is strong, he would have run away”.

“We, the players, are behind Uzoho because that is the best goalkeeper that we have. People can disagree because he made one or two mistakes. But we should not also forget when he had his best games. I see posts on social media, and the media is also not helping issues,” Omeruo said.

“I remember when Maduka [Okoye] was about to join the Super Eagles. The media was pushing for him to join, then he was with the team and made one mistake. The mistake was not so bad, but how he was attacked was discouraging.

“We need Nigerians to support our goalkeepers because it is not easy to keep for Nigeria. I am not a goalkeeper, but I know they are under immense pressure. I like Uzoho’s mentality because if not that he is strong, he would have run away.”

Uzoho is not the only Eagles goalkeeper who has faced intense criticism in recent years.

Last year, Maduka Okoye was forced to lock the comment section of his Instagram account as Nigerians blamed him for the country’s quarter-final exit from the 2022 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The Eagles are set to begin their quest to book a place in the 2026 World Cup when they host Lesotho on Thursday.

The team will fly to Rwanda to play Zimbabwe at the Huye Stadium in Butare, Rwanda, on Sunday.

Zimbabwe has adopted Rwanda as home turf for the qualifiers, as no stadium in the country was deemed fit to host the FIFA World Cup qualifying games.