AFCON fallout: Kiraa Football FC boss highlights NFF mistakes, urges inclusion of grassroots’ players

The owner of Kiraa TV, a prominent entertainment outfit in Ososa, Ogun State, and the organiser of the Kiraa Football Cup Competition, Oluwasegun Franklin, has commended the Super Eagles for their courageous performance, securing the second position at the just-concluded Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The Nigerian football team suffered a 1-2 defeat to the hosting nation, Ivory Coast, in the final. Following this, some Nigerians on social media engaged in cyberbullying against Alex Iwobi, pushing him into a state of depression, prompting him to delete all his videos and photos on Instagram, except for one.

In a conversation with a renowned journalist, Gbolahan Adetayo, Franklin Oluwasegun, who is also the owner of Kiraa Football Club, condemned the cyberbullying against Alex Iwobi.

However, he took the opportunity to highlight the mistakes made by the Super Eagles’ head coach, Jose Peseiro and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

He said: “Our boys really performed admirably at the just-concluded Africa Cup of Nations. Out of approximately 57 participating teams, we secured the second position. As a football club owner, match results may not always align with our predictions, but we must accept defeat, move forward, and focus on the tasks ahead. Truthfully, these boys gave their best for their fatherland. Teams like Ghana, Egypt, Morocco, and others couldn’t advance beyond the group stage. They failed to make their countries proud. Nigeria drew one and won four matches to reach the final. We lost only one game, a critical one, but simultaneously, we should consider the circumstances surrounding it. We previously defeated Ivory Coast in the group stage; however, tickets weren’t available to Nigerian fans for support. Despite these challenges, the guys did their best.

“One mistake I recognise that the NFF and the coach made was neglecting grassroots football and the local league when selecting players. It was evident that our team lacked creative midfielders. Ndidi’s injury prevented him from making the list. If the NFF had scouted from the grassroots or our local league, they could have found a replacement for Ndidi or our entire midfield. At Kiraa Football FC, we have numerous creative midfielders, as do Remo Stars FC and others. In 2013, the late Stephen Keshi won the cup with home-based players. Sunday Mba was relatively unknown until AFCON, where he secured the victory with the only goal against Burkina Faso in the final. The NNF should encourage more of that.”