AFCON 2022: We lost due to bad officiating – Eguavoen

Super Eagles interim coach, Augustine Eguavoen has reacted to the team’s exit from the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) holding in Cameroon.

Tunisia bundled Nigeria out of the tournament on Sunday with a 1-0 win in the Round of 16. The Carthage Eagles progressed to the next round through a second-half goal from Youssef Msakn.

READ ALSO: AFCON 2022: Tunisia send Nigeria home from Cameroon

Tunisia who were winners of the 2004 edition of the tournament will now face Burkina Faso on Sunday in the quarter-finals.

Eguavoen blames bad officiating

Giving his thoughts on the match during the post-match press conference, Eguavoen, a former Nigerian international said the Super Eagles exited the tournament due to bad officiating.

While noting that his players fought a good fight, Eguavoen said it was always very difficult playing against a tactical side like Tunisia, especially when the officiating was not fair.

FT in Garoua. Our #Afcon2021 journey ends here. Thank you all for your support. #SoarSuperEagles #Team9jaStrong pic.twitter.com/Y8VGSERSJ7

— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) January 23, 2022

“We tried to come back after the Tunisia goal, and we chased the game. But then we got a red card. It was clear that the officiating wasn’t fair.

“I won’t criticise the referee because they are masters of the game, but Alex Iwobi’s red card wasn’t fair. The foul wasn’t an intentional one,” he said.

Speaking further, Eguavoen disclosed that he had told the players to quickly put the loss behind them and face the job at hand in March.

”I have told the players to pick up and ensure they qualify Nigeria for the World Cup,” he said.