Coach Jose Peseiro of the Super Eagles has cited referee Kotey Alexander as the cause of his team’s 1-0 loss to Guinea Bissau in the 2023 AFCON qualifying game on Friday.
Even though the Nigerians missed a ton of opportunities during the course of the game, Peseiro gave the Egyptian referee decisions a poor officiating rating.
The Eagles were demoted to second place and the Guineans moved to the top of group A thanks to a single goal from Mama Balde in the 29th minute.
“The referee failed to give the Guinea-Bissau player Mama Balde a red card after going in hard on Kevin Akoguma in the second half of the game,” said Peseiro, the Portuguese manager, according to Pulse Sports.
“Despite being roughed up in the penalty area, the referee did not award the Super Eagles striker a penalty.
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“I was expecting 10 minutes from the referee and the additional time given by the official did not justify the time wasted for the treatment of the Super Eagles defender,” the player said.
Despite Nigeria’s performance being a disaster, Peseiro is still positive. “There is only one game, and any team could lose that game. I think we can beat any team if we play [again] like we did today [Friday],” he continued.
Nigeria still has a chance to exact revenge when they head to Guinea for the return leg on March 27.
