{"id":872509,"date":"2025-09-12T23:12:04","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T04:12:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/12\/nothing-super-about-super-eagles-south-african-football-chief-taunts-nigeria-after-draw-in-bloemfontein\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T23:12:04","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T04:12:04","slug":"nothing-super-about-super-eagles-south-african-football-chief-taunts-nigeria-after-draw-in-bloemfontein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/12\/nothing-super-about-super-eagles-south-african-football-chief-taunts-nigeria-after-draw-in-bloemfontein\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Nothing super about Super Eagles\u2019 \u2013 South African football chief taunts Nigeria after draw in Bloemfontein"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

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\"Soccer<\/p>\n

Nigeria Super Eagles. Copyright: IMAGOxAdekunlexAjayix<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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South African football powerbroker Natasha Tsichlas has taken a swipe at Nigeria\u2019s Super Eagles<\/a> after their laboured 1-1 draw with Bafana Bafana<\/a> in Bloemfontein on Tuesday night, Soccernet.ng reports<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Nigeria<\/a> went into the game needing victory to revive their stuttering World Cup qualifying hopes<\/a> but were instead left frustrated.<\/p>\n

William Troost-Ekong\u2019s own goal handed South Africa<\/a> the lead, before Calvin Bassey rescued a point with his first-ever international goal for Nigeria.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Super Eagles vs South Africa. Photo Credit: CAF Comms<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The draw preserved Nigeria\u2019s unbeaten away record against Bafana Bafana, but Tsichlas, a former Mamelodi Sundowns chief and now vice-president of the South African Football Association, argued that the aura once surrounding the Super Eagles has long disappeared.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWith all due respect, there\u2019s nothing \u2018super\u2019 about the Super Eagles anymore. I remember the years when they were truly \u2018super\u2019 while playing against Bafana,\u201d Tsichlas told KickOff.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Soccer
Nigeria s Super Eagles walk off the pitch after their 1-0 victory over Rwanda s Amavubi during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier
Copyright: IMAGOxAdekunlexAjayix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She was quick to highlight South Africa\u2019s fluid attacking play in the first half as proof of their resurgence.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf you look at how Bafana played, especially in the first half, it was fantastic. The passing, the skills, and the moves were unbelievable. They didn\u2019t even look when they passed to each other. It reminded me of the beautiful football we used to play. I really enjoyed that game,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Nigeria\u2019s equaliser, she claimed, lacked the craft and cohesion that South Africa displayed.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAnd you saw the way Nigeria scored their goal,\u201d Tsichlas added pointedly.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Soccer
Nigeria Super Eagles
Copyright: IMAGOxAdekunlexAjayix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The result means South Africa remain top of Group C with 17 points after eight games, three clear of Benin in second. Nigeria, level with Rwanda on 11 points, face a mountain to climb with only group winners guaranteed a place at the 2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n

Bafana, meanwhile, need just four more points from their remaining fixtures against Zimbabwe and Rwanda to seal qualification. Tsichlas insists the players\u2019 unity has been central to their rise.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI know that Bafana now instils fear across Africa. The players show such commitment and skill in their play,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cI noticed how well they pass the ball to each other. They truly understand one another. Even here in the hotels, we often sit together and laugh. I am enjoying this, particularly after a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Soccer
Calvin Bassey and Cyriel Dessers of Nigeria during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Photo by Akpan Nsidibe\/IMAGO. Copyright: xx<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She also revealed that Nigeria\u2019s coach Eric Chelle had cautioned his players about South Africa\u2019s threat.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIn fact, the Nigerian coach even warned his players about South Africa. They even complained about why he was speaking so positively about us [laughs]. Some of the Nigerian players relied heavily on their physical strength, but if football were all about physique, we would need to bring bodybuilders to play, not footballers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Nigeria will battle Lesotho and Benin Republic in October in the final round of the qualifiers. Even, victories in the two games may not be enough to secure an automatic ticket to the World Cup for Nigeria.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Soccer\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tImhonlamhen Eronmhonsele\t\t\t\t<\/a>
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\n\t\t\t\tImhonlamhen Eronmhonsele turns into a ball of passion when writing about Nigerian football and its talents, whether rising stars or established legends, locally and abroad.<\/p>\n

From the deepest corners of the Middle East, to the green fields of the Americas, to the celebrated grounds in Europe, and the rich soils of Africa, Imhons is more than glad, usually with a glass of a tasty drink nearby, to capture the essence of the game, by connecting the dots between culture, identity, and football.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soccer Nigeria Super Eagles. Copyright: IMAGOxAdekunlexAjayix South African football powerbroker Natasha Tsichlas has taken a swipe at Nigeria\u2019s Super Eagles after their laboured 1-1 draw with Bafana Bafana in Bloemfontein on Tuesday night, Soccernet.ng reports. Nigeria went into the game needing victory to revive their stuttering World Cup qualifying hopes but were instead left frustrated. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":872510,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25674,2005,4578],"tags":[10161,6323],"class_list":{"0":"post-872509","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nothing","8":"category-soccer","9":"category-super","10":"tag-nothing","11":"tag-super"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=872509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/872510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=872509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=872509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=872509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}