Sunday Oliseh has slammed Nigerians and the government for celebrating the Super Eagles’ second place in the 2023 African Cup of Nations tournament.
Nigeria had a splendid tournament in the 2023 AFCON competition held in the Ivory Coast, reaching the final.
However, they lost 2-1 to the host country, the Ivory Coast, in the final after taking the lead in the first half, but ended up conceding two goals in the second half.
Following their performance, the players and staff were celebrated by fans and the Federal Government, honouring them with a Member of the Order of the Niger (OON) award.
What Oliseh said
Speaking on the Bet9ja podcast on YouTube via X, Oliseh said, “Oh God, you know, that kind of thing. Damn, I was sick, but I still came back to play. Then I was on a dying bed, but I still wanted to win this thing.
“You know, it was so painful. Now, when I see a team being given MON for being 2nd, then you say, Lord Almighty. What are we doing?
“You compliment somebody for getting to a final. And then we all as a people accept it. And now we all as a people are now saying, ‘How is it possible we all qualify?’
“We are contributing to it because, look, cultures are grown by people repeating things and the community accepting that things, and continuing to repeat them.
“I know that’s what we are interested in. People say, You know, but if you look at it, when you start accepting mediocrity, don’t be disappointed if you get mediocre results.
“If your child comes home with 51 out of 100, and you praise him, my brother, next time, if he gets 50 or 53, he won’t worry. But if you come home with 51, I’ll tell you and say, “Hey, 51, no food. You are not eating this tonight.
“The next morning, I tell them and say, ‘Look, no food today. You go. The boy is going to say, “Look, I must get 60, 78.” That is how you build a winning culture.
“But if we as a people accept it, let’s not be sad that we cannot get the results, but we contributed to it by accepting it to become our culture and celebrating mediocrity, celebrating it.”