Nigerian FA rips into Scotland

This from today’s Scotsman. The quote below is from Nigerian FA board member Dominic Iorfa, ahead of today’s Nigeria v. Scotland tie in the U-20 World Cup.

“We’ll be playing to beat them by at least four. Anything less than three would be disappointing,” said Iorfa. “Scotland will find it very difficult to beat Nigeria. They don’t look strong enough mentally or physically. Scottish teams always lack something in competition play, from the Under-20s to the senior team.”

Iorfa does not represent the Nigerian team here. The head coach has said how much he respects Scotland and Scottish football, as any smart and decent coach would, but Iorfa’s comments are way over the top for an FA board member. Did the Scottish team that beat France in Euro 2008 qualifiers “lack something”? Was this U-20 team, finishing a close second to Spain in the European championships, lack mental and physical strength?

Iorfa may be remembering his own stay in Scotland, when he speaks so bitterly of her football. During his playing days, he played for Falkirk for a grand total of 3 games before moving on to Dover and Southend in a protracted run up to retirement. Since then, his time in the Nigerian FA has been marked with several outbursts like this.

Nigeria has a lot to be proud of in the footballing world. Their international results have been excellent, at both the youth and senior levels, and there is a huge pool of talent in their country. Their FA, however, suffers from a serious lack of the necessary skills to run a national football program. Men like Iorfa have no place in positions of national influence, and each time a rant like this is published, it hurts Nigeria’s image in the world, which is itself a great shame.

Category: Scottish Premier League

Tags: Dominic Iorfa, Falkirk, Nigeria, Pregame analysis, Scotland, Scottish national team, Scottish Premier League, U-20 World Cup

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