{"id":880642,"date":"2025-12-26T00:16:23","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T06:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/26\/oliseh-it-is-a-tool-for-improvement-ex-super-eagles-coach-hits-back-at-critics-after-commentary-backlash\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T00:16:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T06:16:23","slug":"oliseh-it-is-a-tool-for-improvement-ex-super-eagles-coach-hits-back-at-critics-after-commentary-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/26\/oliseh-it-is-a-tool-for-improvement-ex-super-eagles-coach-hits-back-at-critics-after-commentary-backlash\/","title":{"rendered":"Oliseh: \u201cIt is a tool for improvement\u201d \u2013 Ex-Super Eagles coach hits back at critics after commentary backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

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\"Soccer<\/p>\n

Sunday Oliseh. Copyright: Imago<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Former head coach of the Super Eagles<\/a>, Sunday Oliseh, has responded firmly to criticism over his television analysis of Nigeria’s AFCON 2025<\/a> opener against Tanzania, Soccernet.ng reports. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Following several comments from displeased Nigerians, he insists his comments were aimed at helping the team improve and not tearing them down.<\/p>\n

The former Nigeria captain came under heavy fire on X (formerly Twitter) after Nigeria\u2019s 2\u20131 victory<\/a>, with a section of the football fans accusing him of being overly harsh in his assessment despite the win.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Nigeria during the Africa Cup of Nations AFCON match between Nigeria and Tanzania on December 23RD, 2025 at Complexe Sportif De Stade, Morocco. Photo by Segun Ogunfeyitimi Copyright: xShengolpixsxIMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The backlash prompted Oliseh to release an official statement to address the controversy.<\/p>\n

Soccer Why Sunday Oliseh\u2019s AFCON 2025 commentary sparked backlash online<\/h2>\n

Oliseh trended on X following Nigeria\u2019s Group C win over Tanzania at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, after viewers took issue with his post-match analysis.<\/p>\n

While the Super Eagles secured all three points in their tournament opener, sections of the Nigerian football community felt Oliseh focused too much on the team\u2019s shortcomings rather than the result.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Fortuna Sittard coach\/trainer Sunday Oliseh. Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some supporters interpreted his remarks as a lack of support for the players and coaching crew, especially given the pressure that often accompanies Nigeria\u2019s AFCON campaigns.<\/p>\n

Get Our Sports News First \u2013\u00a0<\/b>Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

The criticism spread like wildfire on social media, with many Nigerian football faithful questioning Oliseh\u2019s tone and intent as a pundit at this crucial stage of the competition.<\/p>\n

Soccer What ex-Super Eagles coach said in his response<\/h2>\n

Former Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh has released an official statement responding to the backlash that followed his commentary on Nigeria\u2019s 2\u20131 win over Tanzania at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.<\/p>\n

In response, the former Nigeria captain addressed the criticism directly, and noted that his comments were misunderstood.<\/p>\n

In his statement, Oliseh wrote:<\/p>\n

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\u201cI am deeply saddened by the recent suggestions on social media that my analysis of the Super Eagles\u2019 performance against Tanzania stems from a lack of support for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor nearly 40 years, I have dedicated my life and career to the progress of Nigerian football. While my professional duty requires impartiality and objective critique, my heart remains firmly with the players and Coach Eric Chelle. Constructive honesty is not a sign of dislike; it is a tool for improvement born out of a desire to see our nation succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Official Statement
\n\u200bI am deeply saddened by the recent suggestions on social media that my analysis of the Super Eagles\u2019 performance against Tanzania stems from a lack of support for the team.
\n\u200bFor nearly 40 years, I have dedicated my life and career to the progress of Nigerian\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Sunday Oliseh (@SundayOOliseh) December 24, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The former Borussia Dortmund star also described his comment as a contradiction in public reaction to his work as a pundit:<\/p>\n

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\u201cJust recently, I was accused of being \u2018too supportive\u2019 of the coaching staff. To now be accused of the opposite suggests a misunderstanding of my role as an analyst. My loyalty to the Green and White is unwavering and requires no defense. Let us move past these distractions and unite in our support for the players.
\nGod bless Nigeria.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Soccer
Nigeria during the Africa Cup of Nations AFCON match between Nigeria and Tanzania. Photo by Segun Ogunfeyitimi Copyright: xShengolpixsxIMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eric Chelle’s men will return to action against Tanzania in the coming days as attention shifts back to results on the pitch.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"<!--Ayomide Oguntimehin” src=”https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Ayomide-Oguntimehin-pics-150×150.jpg” height=”80″ width=”80″>\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tAyomide Oguntimehin\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n

\n\t\t\t\tAyomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and Editor at Soccernet.ng. He has interviewed Super Eagles stars like William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Ademola Lookman, and is known for breaking major transfer stories.<\/p>\n

Ayomide has worked with Sports Brief, Naija News and served as Social Lead Editor at Legit.ng. He has also featured on Goal, TVC News, Sports Mole, and Milan News24. He holds a Master\u2019s degree and is currently pursuing a PhD. Follow Ayomide on X (formerly Twitter): @ayo_oguntimehin\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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

Soccer Sunday Oliseh. Copyright: Imago Former head coach of the Super Eagles, Sunday Oliseh, has responded firmly to criticism over his television analysis of Nigeria’s AFCON 2025 opener against Tanzania, Soccernet.ng reports. Following several comments from displeased Nigerians, he insists his comments were aimed at helping the team improve and not tearing them down. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":880643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36971,144866,2005],"tags":[44104,144865],"class_list":{"0":"post-880642","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-it","8":"category-oliseh","9":"category-soccer","10":"tag-it","11":"tag-oliseh"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880642","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=880642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/880643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=880642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=880642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=880642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}