President of Federation of Cameroon Football (FECAFOOT), Samuel Eto’o, has rallied behind Atalanta striker Ademola Lookman after the Nigerian was criticised by coach Gian Piero Gasperini over a penalty miss.

Belgian side Club Brugge stunned Atalanta 3-1 in the second leg of their playoff tie to dump the Italian side out with a 5-2 aggregate win and reach the last 16.

Irked by his side’s elimination, Gasperini later described the Nigerian as “one of the worst penalty-takers he has ever seen.”

In a post on his official Instagram account, Eto’o showered encomium on the Super Eagles striker, calling him a ‘champion’

“My young brother, memory in football lasts 90 minutes, the time of a match, and then it’s on to the next,” Eto’o stated.

“For us, you are and will always be our champion. Only those who have the courage to take the shot can miss. Thank you for your courage, great champion.”

Lookman, Atalanta’s hero last season when they won the Europa League, pulled back one goal for the Italian side when they were 3-0 down.

But the Nigeria international, who has scored 15 times this season, had a penalty saved, which drew huge criticism from Gasperini.
The manager said Lookman was not supposed to take with offensive midfielder Charles De Ketelaere and striker Mateo Retegui on the pitch.

In a post on Instagram, Lookman said Gasperini’s comments singling him out were “deeply disrespectful” and hurtful.

Reports said Lookman has decided to leave Atalanta at the end of the 2024-2025 season.
Gasperini on Saturday said he never intended to offend Lookman by saying the striker is “one of the worst penalty-takers

He brushed off the quarrel while addressing a news conference on Saturday, pointing out similarities to an incident in Udinese’s 1-0 Serie A win over Lecce on Friday where Lorenzo Lucca scored a penalty despite not being the designated taker

“It had an extraordinary impact, everything that came afterward. Mine was not meant to be an offensive sentence,” Gasperini said.

“Yesterday in Udinese-Lecce we had what could have been a drama, luckily there were guys who let it go. I would have liked a strong player like Lookman to have made a gesture towards De Ketelaere saying: ‘Come on keep the ball, put it in.”

Atalanta, third in Serie A with 51 points from 25 matches, travel to Empoli on Sunday.