Super Falcons star Asisat Oshoala has strongly criticised the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for publicly blaming players after the Super Eagles’ disappointing 1-1 draw against South Africa in their 2026 World Cup qualifier.
The result, which leaves Nigeria’s qualification hopes hanging by a thread, sparked outrage among fans. But it was the NFF’s match report that drew even more backlash — especially for singling out William Troost-Ekong and Cyriel Dessers.
Ekong was blamed for an own goal that gave South Africa the lead, while Dessers, who started the match and was taken off at half-time, was harshly criticised for his performance. The report described him as slow, ineffective, and unable to win aerial balls — comments many fans felt were too personal.
The NFF later removed the paragraph about Dessers from the report — likely due to growing criticism online.
Oshoala, one of Nigeria’s most decorated footballers, took to Instagram to condemn the NFF for scapegoating their own players instead of protecting them.
“SMH. It be your own people,” she wrote in her Instagram story.
“Instead of protecting your players, you set them up for drags.”
Oshoala’s comments come in defence of Dessers, who only recently committed fully to the Super Eagles, earning his second competitive cap in the match. The striker has played just under 100 minutes of meaningful football for Nigeria but has already faced intense public criticism.
Many believe the NFF’s actions could discourage dual-nationality players from choosing Nigeria in the future. Recently, Nigeria-eligible defender Nnamdi Collins chose to represent Germany — following in the footsteps of Jamal Musiala and Karim Adeyemi.
Critics warn that if the federation continues to treat players this way, more talents could turn their backs on Nigeria.