Before the Eagles were defeated by the Cheetahs of Benin Republic , the team had sparked reactions across Nigeria as the players sang along to the old national anthem, which rang around the Felix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan, Benin Republic’s adopted home ground.
The new anthem was played during Nigeria’s previous game of the qualifying series against South Africa in Uyo last Friday.
According to a statement released by NFF’s Director of Media and Communications, Ademola Olajire, after the game, the NFF handed a recording of the new national anthem of Nigeria to the Benin FA authorities at the Match Coordination Meeting in Abidjan on Sunday evening.
“We gave them the recording of our new national anthem, only for them to play the wrong one at the beginning of the match. We protested strongly and insisted that the Super Eagles would not start the second half until the new national anthem of Nigeria was played,” Head of International Competitions, Dayo Enebi Achor said via the statement.
The statement added that the Benin FA authorities eventually played the new Nigerian national anthem before the commencement of the second half of the match.
Perhaps angered by the Eagles’ defeat, Nigerians also expressed displeasure over the mix-up.
“With that kind of confusion home and abroad, how can they concentrate and win,” a fan Nnamdi Daniel wrote on X.
Social media influencer, Daniel Regha, said, “Nigeria has more national anthem than goals per match, thank you Finidi George, but the NFF also shares in the blame. Up Super Eagles.”
Another fan, David Pine, stated, “As image makers of the country, this is totally wrong and unacceptable.”
President Bola Tinubu had signed the National Anthem Bill 2024, reinstating the old anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” into law, shifting from the usual “Arise, O Compatriots.”
The “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” anthem was used from 1960, when Nigeria gained independence until it was replaced by “Arise, O Compatriots” in 1978.
Meanwhile, for the second time in their history, The Cheetahs of Benin Republic defeated the Super Eagles of Nigeria earlier today, June 10, 2024.
Benin Republic, who don’t have a befitting stadium to play their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, hosted the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.
After recording three draws in their first 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification games, most football enthusiasts expected the Super Eagles to use the Benin Republic to record their first win in the campaign.
However, the Cheetahs who are being coached by German tactician, Gernot Rohr, who headed the Super Eagles of Nigeria for five years, proved too difficult to stop.
Coach Finidi George and his boys started the game a bit promising as they scored the opening goal of the match through the boots of Raphael Onyedika in the 27th minute.
Unfortunately, poor communication between Nigerian defenders allowed the Cheetahs to come back into the game in the 37th minute through the boots of Jodel Dossou.
Before the end of the first half, another erroneous play by the Super Eagles defence allowed the Benin Republic to score the second goal through a free header from Steve Mounie.
In the second half, coach Finidi George made a series of changes including bringing on Victor Boniface, Paul Onuachu, and Frank Onyeka, but their introduction into the game couldn’t make any difference.
The Nigerian side was completely out of ideas when they were around the Beninese penalty box as they kept struggling to communicate with each other. Their poor communication often forced two players to go for the same ball thereby making the Eagles’ attack meaningless.
At the end of the abysmal performance, the Super Eagles are left in the 5th spot in Group C and they could go bottom of the group if 6th-placed Zimbabwe beat South Africa on June 11.