2027 AFCONQ: Super Eagles’ 3-0 Defeat To Guinea-Bissau ‘Unbelievable’ — Bonfrere Slams ‘Stupid’ Excuses

Johannes Bonfrere, a former Nigeria coach, has described the Super Eagles’ 3-0 defeat to Djurtus [the Wild Dogs] of Guinea-Bissau in Tuesday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier in Bissau as absolutely ‘unbelievable’, Completesports.com reports.

The 80-year-old Bonfrère, who was in charge when Nigeria’s U-23s won the men’s football gold medal at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, also fumed with rage while speaking with Completesports.com on Wednesday afternoon from his country home in the Netherlands, describing Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle’s ‘bad pitch’ and ‘bad weather’ excuses as ‘stupid’.

The 2000 AFCON silver medal-winning coach with the Super Eagles reckons that the result is a ‘shame’ for Nigerian football and that Nigeria is not only sinking football-wise but also economically.

‘It’s Unbelievable, Shameful, Disappointing’ – Bonfrere Decries Super Eagles’ Loss

“It’s absolutely unbelievable that Guinea-Bissau could defeat the Super Eagles 3-0,” Bonfrere screamed when informed that the three-time AFCON winners went down 3-0 in the 2027 AFCON qualifier at the 20,000-capacity Estádio 24 de Setembro in Guinea-Bissau.

Also Read: 2027 AFCONQ: We Have Too Many Overhyped Players In Super Eagles — Dimeji Lawal

“Nigeria losing 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau? That’s ‘shameful’, very ‘disappointing’. It shows how low Nigerian football has fallen.”

Bonfrere refused to accept Super Eagles coach Eric Sekou Chelle’s excuses for Nigeria’s ’embarrassing’ 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau.

Coach Chelle had given the ‘bad pitch’ of the Estadio Nacional de Setembro Bissau and ‘bad weather’ as reasons the Super Eagles played poorly in the game, leading to the ‘disgraceful’ defeat.

“That’s a stupid excuse. We once played against Eritrea in Asmara on April 9, 2000, and got a draw despite the bad pitch and weather.

“You trained on the pitch before the game. When the pitch is bad, when the weather is bad, you change tactics. That’s the work of the coach.”

Bonfrere Questions NFF’s Decision On Chelle’s Job

Bonfrere, who assisted Clemens Westerhof during Nigeria’s 1994 AFCON triumph in Tunisia as well as the country’s 1994 FIFA World Cup debut in the United States of America, questioned the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) decision to retain Eric Chelle as Super Eagles coach despite his failure to lead the team to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

Also Read: AFCON 2027Q: 5 Major Observations From Super Eagles’ Defeat To Guinea-Bissau

“It’s ridiculous, he’s still there. Nigeria did not go to the World Cup despite having a chance as the third-best team to go through the play-offs,” he said.

“Yes, he did not start the qualifiers, but when he came, Nigeria had a chance through the play-offs. But he didn’t. It’s unbelievable the federation (NFF) went for a coach from Mali to lead the Super Eagles.”