Keshi Blasts Ref For Eagles’ Slim Victory

To the Chief Coach of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi, his team would have won Sunday’s 2014 World Cup qualifier against Namibia in Calabar, Cross River Stat,e with a wide margin if not for the bad officiating of the referee.

It was a close shave for the Nigerian team, who missed several scoring chances before Ike Uche made up with the 80th minute winner to seal victory against hard-fighting Brave Warriors at the 15,000-capacity U. J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar.

Speaking after the crucial match, which was Keshi’s second competitive game as Eagles coach, the he berated the centre referee for denying the Eagles some penalty kicks, which he believed his team deserved.

He said most decisions of the referee were one-sided and “obviously against Nigeria” and hoped that the level of officiating in Blantyre against Malawi would be fair.

“These are the things the press need to write about as the level of officiating was very bad and one-sided”.

Keshi disclosed that he worked on all the departments of the team to “ensure an early goal, but that was not to be, man can propose but God could decide otherwise.”

Keshi was glad that the Eagles were playing as a team for the first time under him and that he was able to use yesterday’s qualifying match to study the team as he now knows where to concentrate more, particularly for the match against Malawi in Blantyre this weekend.

Ik Uche, the scorer of the only goal in the match told P.M.Sports that the tie has given the players an opportunity to understand eachother and to play as a team.

After the match, the city of Calabar was turned into a carnival of sorts as most drinking spots and fast food joints were jam-packed with people drinking and eating to celebrate the narrow victory.

“It was a narrow victory, but we claimed the three points at stake, that calls for celebration,” said one of the fans, Anderson Eke.

—Emma Una, Calabar