Former Nigeria’s Super Eagles winger, Finidi George has punctured the claim by Bonfere Jo that Ex-Super Eagles coach, Clemens Westerhof sold Nigeria’s Round-of-16 game of the 1994 FIFA World Cup against Italy saying the players’ revolt before the game was the main reason for the defeat.
Bonfere Jo, who was an assistant to Westerhof during the Dutchman’s time as Super Eagles coach between 1989 and 1994, claimed that the Dutchman sold the game for $100,000, and that’s why Nigeria lost against Italy.
Finidi, who is a key member of the famous 1994 squad debunked the claim saying the team lost to the problem they have before their second round game against Italy.
“1994 is a long time but I can still recalled what happened a day before our second round game against Italy at the World Cup. The national team coach, Clemence Westerhof wanted to move the team from our camp in a hotel in Boston to another one because there was too many people in the hotel and he felt that the team is losing concentration.
“The players on the own refused to move because we have bagged so much stuffs and we thought that moving the team a day to a very important game is to much for us.
“That was the beginning of our problem. The match we lost against Italy is the consequence of what happened a day before. There was a little bit of argument in the hotel. Westerhof left the hotel because he wanted to move the team because of distraction but the team did not want to move and I can say that the problem before the game is the main reason we lost the game to Italy and nothing else,” Finidi said.
Speaking further, the former Ajax winger said the claim by Bonfere Jo, who lead the Dream Team to Olympic Gold in 1996 can not be sustained because the players later blamed themselves for the defeat.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
