Despite the Super Eagles’ 2-0 win over the Lone Star of Liberia on Friday, Nigerians on Social Media are still aggrieved with the fact that the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos should have been properly managed regardless of the downpour of rain that rendered the pitch almost unplayable.
Before the game kicked off, there was an air of uncertainty as to whether or not the match official would postpone the game as the pitch was heavily waterlogged.
As reported in Completesports.com, it took the maintenance team some efforts to drain the pitch before kickoff. However, it was still poor playing surface and the negative effect was obvious when both teams took to the field.
The movement of the ball was not fluid as both the Super Eagles and Lone Star struggled to string some passes on the deplorable astro turf pitch.
Read Also: 2022 WCQ: Exclusive: Absence Of Key Players Won’t Stop Eagles From Defeating Cape Verde -Amuneke
Rather than savour the team’s victory over Liberia, it was the condition of the pitch that overshadowed the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match.
Below are the reactions of some of the disenchanted fans on Completesports.com comments section, Lindaikeji and Opera News Instagram.
Adolnedu -In Lagos by Adol84: That stadium which looks like an old school field left to ruin. Despite all the money earmarked for the maintenance of the stadium, its pitch is very ugly to behold. It’s a shame that “the almighty Super Eagles” played there. Nigeria has no shame. Tueh!
DannyB: I am really delighted that the team won but I feel sad with the state of the Teslim Balogun Stadium. Nothing to write home about.
Pennypaul: The Teslim Balogun Stadium was an absolute disaster as far as I am concern. I still can’t imagine how the Super Eagles manged to play on that turf and win.
Footballfanatic -I watched all the highlights of the African worldcup qualifiers and I can confidently say we had the worst pitch. I was surprised the Central African Repubublic had a better pitch and stadium. Nigeria is really a failed nation.
pompei -our pitch was BY FAR the worst pitch. It was not even close.
NFF ONIGBESE continues to disgrace the whole country with their corruption, incompetence and nonchalant attitude.
I mentioned some weeks back that if obtaining a suitable stadium within Nigeria is beyond our reach, we might as well swallow our pride and contact our neighbors Cameroon or Benin Republic to bail us out. I was joking then, but now, it looks like we better begin to think about renting from these countries.
EVEN NIGER AND CHAD HAVE BETTER FACILITIES THAN NIGERIA!!!
It will be much better for our boys to be playing on a good surface even if it isn’t at home, than to be at home and be playing on a potato farm.
Ayo -Has anyone observed that Nigeria doesn’t have a standard soccer pitch for eagles without those running track lines. Ani awòn Leaders yii wan gbadun. The don’t mean business. Football is a big business and they can’t see it
Focusgabriel: Rain or no rain, the Teslim Balogun Stadium is not standard at all.
Payrol: My God, this pitch is horrible NGALBR
Jumbolove: That pitch no dey even allow ball to roll well. Eye sore #NGALBR
freewall: Are we going to talk about the state of this pitch? #NGALBR
Abbey: Teslim Balogun Stadium be like where them dey race horses #NGALBR #SuperEagles #WorldCupQualifiers
Kenboy: Pitch looks like where cows dey graze… Picture quality still looks like 1980s #NGALBR #SuperEagles
Sawyerbill: I really expected the field & stadium in Lagos to be better. Way better. #NGALBR
Femipip: This Teslim Balogun stadium is truly sad.. Poor technology, can’t even show a replay of a goal talk more fouls.. Don’t get me started on the state of that pitch.. I mean they earn from hosting this games, no ? Where’s the investment.
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BUT IF AKWA-IBOM CAN BUILD NEW STADIUM, TO ME IT IS A BIG SHAME THAT LAGOS STATE CANNOT BUILD BUILD NEW ULTRA MODERN STADIUM AROUND ATLANTIC OCEAN CITY WHERE FANS CAN EASILY BOARD FERRY BOAT TO THE VENUE (which can reduce much traffic on the road), UPON THE MUCH MONEY THEY REALIZED FROM LAND-USE-CHARGES, TOLL-GATE, TAXES, STREETS, LOCAL GOVTS.
LAGOS IS THE MOST POPULAR CITY/STATE WELL RECOGNIZE BY THE WORLD. T.BALOGLUN STADIUM IS BELOW SENIOR INC. STANDARD. IT CANNOT EVEN BE ACCEPTED BY CAF TO HOST SENIOR NATION CUP.
The city of Surulere looks like ancient city of my village.
NIGERIA, LAGOS, NFF OR PRIVATE SECTORS: PLEASE LET BUILD NEW STADIUM AROUND EKO ATLANTIC OCEAN CITY,
ORDINARY GHANA, EQ.GUINEA CAN BOAST OF FIVE NEW STADIA THAT CAN HOST SENIOR FIFA WORLD CUP.
INFANT I DEY SHAME !!!.
@TALK UR OWN, you won my heart 100% on this. God bless you so much.
Hmmm. According to your username, “TALK UR OWN”, let me kuku talk my own then.
The idea of building a world class stadium in Lagos should be the next agenda after the show of shame at the Teslim Balogun stadium last Friday.
However, I am in support of your idea @TALK UR OWN.
The governor of the Lagos state should
build a modern stadium around the Atlantic
Ocean in Lagos should be what the governor of Lagos state should think about after the match against Liberia.
We have what it takes to have a modern football stadium in Lagos. Those two stadiums in Surulere are not meeting our standards and the vicinity as well.
Lagos government have so many ways to generate revenue from but lack of vision and lack of ideas will keep dragging Nigeria back to olden days.
The government of Lagos state should take the advantage of the Atlantic Ocean to build a new stadium in that area.
The government of Lagos state will be making lot of money since we have water ways and ferry boats are available to get people to the venue of the new stadium without security issues or traffic.
This is why we have to move away from analog system. Everything should be digitalize.
CSN should call the attention of the Lagos government to this since CSN is in Lagos.
Lastly, this will sound some how but that is the bitter truth.
NFF understand that for Nigeria to qualify to the next world cup in Qatar, Lagos is the only place they can take Super Eagles players to because of the seriousness of the Super Eagles and the coaches.
I hate nobody. I love Super Eagles and I can’t lie or hide the truth. NFF know that the coaches of the Super Eagles are not sound technically and tactically but if they take the world cup matches to Uyo, Nigeria may not qualify to the next world cup.
They, the gaffers made it to the last world cup with ease but why are they struggling after both the Afcon and world cup tournaments?
I don’t know. May be because of not having Mikel, Ighalo and Moses with the team anymore.
But with the support of the fans in Lagos and the name “Lagos” will inspire our boys to even do more than what they can offer.
NFF can take matches to Uyo and other places but Super Eagles most have a home.
Well, nothing last forever. Amaju Pinnick and the coaches will go one day. Then, Super Eagles will be Super again.
I have talked my own. Eko ni baję o. God bless Nigeria!!!
Sanwo Olu said he would cover the stadium before February… Let’s wait and see. Meanwhile all our subsequent matches should be moved to Uyo.. I hope the pitch there is well maintained, because that’s our curse in Nigeria
It is sad that in Nigeria having foresight and being proactive are negatively rewarded. Instead of courting someone who has achieved something spectacular, finding out how he did it, with the hope of surpassing him, we resort to destructive envy.
The Akwa Ibom State Government has done wonderfully well by erecting a standard stadium in Nigeria. But Oga Pinnick in consort with Minister Dare has sworn NEVER to take the SE to Uyo again. Why? There is no rational reason I can think of. In civilized climes, these gentlemen should have been promoting Uyo and urging other state governments to emulate and surpass the effort that yielded that stadium. And in no time you’d see standard stadia springing up all over Nigeria.
Incorporating good drainage system is a must when considering putting up a stadium. Nigeria has been subjected to an open-book disgrace. Thank God the SE survived the ordeal. Leaders who are accountable for their actions would offer apologies and take steps not to repeat the blunder again. But have you heard anything from Pinnick or Dare?
Granted that Lagos wants to be the home of the SE. Na for mouth? Let them launch an appeal fund to erect a standard stadium like the ones we see in North Africa or even Europe. I’m sure even market women will open their purses. When I was a kid in the village my grandmother would grab her walking stick and threaten to strike someone who blocked her views in from of our black-and-white TV when watching the Green Eagles.
It is not by trying to renovate a dilapidated derelict like the Teslim Balogun Stadium that will take us any nearer to acquiring a standard stadium.
For God’s sake all S.E games should be moved to Uyo, and let that be their home for now till further notice. That is what Leon Balogun was advocating for. I don’t understand the rationale behind taking matches to Lagos and Teslim Balogun station that can not measure up to Liberation staduim in PH, Enugu statduim, Abuja Staduim , Kaduna Staduim not to mention the Altra modern Uyo station. Granted that Lagos was the Headquarters of Nigeria and by virtue of this it was the S,E home.But ,the times have changed. Lagos is no longer the Headquarters of Nigeria .Moreover the statduim in Lagos is also grossly outdated compared to other modern Staduim. Lagos have been stagnated and therefore can not cope with the modern demands of the game. Consequently it’s high time the NFF moved S.E matches to Uyo which is the best Staduim in Nigeria and one of the best in the world. Infact ,NNF should cover face in shame to video such horrible pitch and facility to the world.I watch Ghana not to talk of Morocco and Eyppt and shame cover my face.Pls let’s not waste the facility in Uyo ; make maximum use of it by making it the S.E.home till further notice
Everything is not just good in Nigeria, why are these old fools keep suffering us with everything, bastard foolish people, greedy assholes
what baffle me most are all the ex-internationals. they have not even say anything about all this mess. i wonder if they are really ex footballers who know what is good for good performances. ex-ke anti rohr’s. this is really shambollic.
CSN, if you guys cannot publish something about the pitch & NFF to take super eagles back to where they like GOD will punish all of you who keep punishing innocent lads whom want to make the country proud by making them to play on horrible pitches.
And we have a world class stadium with well maintained pitch here in Uyo but we rather embarrass ourselves before the world because we want everything to be at Lagos.
We are not yet serious
Bro, i want to assume you live in Uyo. Just a quick question here, is the Uyo pitch still in good condition like it use to be because the last time i saw an NPFL game involving Akwa United in that stadium, i was not to happy with what i saw. I may be wrong though. Not sure if we have a first hand info from anyone on the present state of the pitch
It’s all politics my people. They’ll rather take the matches to Sambisa forest than take them back to the good pitch in Uyo; because God forbid any goodwill be ascribed to the current leaders of a so-called “PDP state”.
To the group of leaders we have now everything is looked at through political or parochial lenses; Results and the country be damned. Amaju Pinnick is only a pawn in this dangerous game; his own interest is self (position) preservation.
May God help us.
Watched our darling SE made to play on a cattle grazing field supposedly called a football pitch and felt this writhing pain enveloped my body. I could feel the players disenchantment towards the nigeria idea, only drawing out the last straw of energy to push through a favourable result. Thanks be to God, their effort paid off and it ended in our favour. Then what else have we not said about these criminals calling themselves politicians/administrators in whatever climes?. Everytime I try to individualize nigeria’s problem, I am always dealt a knockout punch by the reality of what it is; which makes individualizing it just a tip of the ice-bag; reason why for years running the problem seem to be expanding rather than being solved. Nigeria’s problem is endemic, its what define you n I as nigerians albeit so so shameful to admit this. So so shameful, it is rears its most ugly head in our every moment dealings with the outside world as depicted by so so sorry football pitch presented to world view; a supposedly giant of Africa, I weep in my heart. I honestly struggle not to comment on this subject, because like I have always pointed out, until we nigerian starts showing utmost disgust at our value system, we will continue to experience things as this.
Only a few weeks back, our olympians were made to experience same; kits unavailability. While I was painfully struggling to look beyond that pitch monumental disgrace, I bumped into this nollyhood movie: KING OF BOYS. In that movie, I watched with total disgust this self distruct, shameful, negative, evil, self assuming, unprogressive etc NIGERIA VALUE SYSTEM. I SAW THE TYPICAL NIGERIAN IN THE CRIMINAL WOMAN, HER DAUGHTER, THE ELECTED POLITICIAN, THE THUGS THAT RAIDED THE POLITICIAN’S HOUSE, ESPECIALLY IN THE WAY THEY EXPRESSED JOY WHEN THEY FOUND THE MONEY; I SAW THE TYPICAL NIGERIAN AMONGST THE OTHER THUGS LOYAL TO THE WOMAN AND THE OTHERS ON THE STREET, I SAW THE TYPICAL NIGERIAN IN THE NCCC CHIEF. In that movie, the only non nigerian happened to be the NCCC officer who finally apprehended the criminal woman and in the process lost his wife through illness. After watching that movie, I could see yet, confirming my understanding, that nigeria’s problem is VALUE SYSTEM and until we dismantle that our system of looking at things, nothing will work however loud we cry, hence I have chosen to console myself by distancing myself from anyone nigerian person, family member irrespective, living with such mundane mentality( money/fame/bigmanism etc). Truth is,it is when you make such decision that you start appreciating how enormous that nigeria problem is, because everytime you thinking you have found some decent nigerian as a friend, the next thing you will be made to hear is: YOU NOR WAN CHOP? ABI YOU COME THIS LAGOS/UK COME COUNT BRIDGE? ME I GO CHOP OOO,MY SON IS A DOCTOR, A LAWYER, I AM A PHD HOLDER, the guy don hammer, you don see that guy house for nijja, you don see that guy car?, mennn see the shoe wey Davido, wizkid wear etc. DISGUSTING, DISGUSTING, DISGUSTING ….. MY REPLY WHILE BEGGING TO DISCONNECT, ALWAYS THE CASE. Yet these lots will be quick to condemn others without seeing the condemned(NIGERIA VALUE SYSTEM ) inside of themselves. NIGERIA HAS THE FUND TO BUILD MORE THAN 50 STADIA THAT CAN BETTER THE BEST AROUND THE WORLD BUT THAT FUND IS EVER SO NOT BIGGER THAN THE ICEBAG ITSELF, NOT THE TIP.
God bless you in multiples for this poignant and apt comment.
Nigeria’s problem is a warped value system and alot of Nigerians have fastened the tendrils of their engagements and beliefs around corruption.
An average Nigerian is irrevocably egoistic.
From the moment the ball kicked of against Liberia, a big hurt has been inside my entire body and soul. It is the recognition that it will never get better at this stage. I haven’t made a single comment about the match because nothing I can say or think of overrides the shame and disgust in me. You could just see the disgust in both Rohr and the players body language.
For weeks now I’ve been advocating that the players boycott callups and matches as a result of lack of payment. Now I believe it’s imperative they stand up and say enough is enough. How can a guy like Osihmen, Balogun, Ndidi, and the rest, risk their careers by playing on surfaces like that time and time again. I think they owe it to us the fans to stand up to this nonsense as it is only when something like this happens that the administrators will sit up and do something. For me I’m willing to sacrifice our ticket to the next world cup if it would yield the necessary change in our entire football setup.
In conclusion, I support our players boycotting callups from here on out until tangible long term changes are made!
In 2021….a government builds a soccer pitch without a sprinkling and drainage system…..Tufia!!!
Since we have chosen to live in hell (Lagos) when Heaven (Uyo) is available to us, can FIFA kindly save us from the wickedness of these administrators by banning Nigeria from hosting these qualifiers like they banned other countries who cannot provide standard facilities…?
Let us start playing our home matches in South Africa, Morrocco or Egypt bikonu
Some people in their wisdom moved our national team away from Lagos for certain reasons…..but some other wicked longthroat people feel that is the perfect place for us to stay.
Ah Shame…!
I am so ashamed to be Nigerian right now. Someone needs to see the quality of pitch on display in Lome, Togo (Togo vs Namibia) at the stade de Kegue, Lome, Togo this is not South Africa or North Africa now ooooo, this is Togo (ni nle nle beside us here) doing the simple things right, a stadium built and opened in year 2000 and still well maintained. It’s HT right now and the pitch was promptly watered again to provide for good football. Here, we keep deceiving ourselves that we are the biggest economy in Africa, giant of Africa, most populous, most intelligent and yet providing basic infrastructures still remains rocket science. Shame and shame on us as a people and especially those who have led this country into this kind of shambolic state we find ourselves
They cant provide adequate facilities
They cant pay coaches
They cant pay bonuses
And they want to win AFCON……LMAOOOoo
And some agents of darkeness will come and tell us Rohr has a better working environment and has never been owed a dime even for a day…..LMAOOooo
When we eventually qualify for this WC and win ANYTHING at the next AFCON, it would be inspite of the administrators.
@dr Drey did you watch the Gabon vs Egypt match? Men our FA should really be ashamed of themself, look at Gabon soccer pitch, you will easily think you watching from Europe, and to think all those fool was even present at the Teslim Balogun stadium to watch the Nigeria match.
Lagos spent much time and money decorating the VIP sitting area and did nothing about the pitch
Fifa should introduce a new policy on football administration. Officials from federation such as nff that cannot provide facilities for the development of the game or for fifa competitions should not be allowed to occupy positions in fifa committees. In fact they should dissolve such federation. incompetent and greedy officials are in the same league as corrupt officials.
Just before kick off, the camera zoomed in on the pitch. The image that was relayed to my brain, confounded me. I didn’t know whether it was a ranch, a farm or a desert until I saw players filing out. I was so disappointed.
How can we woo foreign born players, when we use deserts as stadiums, don’t pay players their match allowances and bonuse, lack organisation etc. With the way the football federation is running our football aground, I’m no longer keen about these foreign born players switching nationality.
From what I have heard, the people in our football house are really feeding fat from football. In fact, they are more interested in the money that accrue to them than promotion of football in Nigeria. That is why the SE lack sponsors. Because, if you make the mistake of giving money for SE sponsorhip to these people, they will ‘wack it’. I will never give money, not even a dime for SE sponsorship to the current people in the glass house, unless I just want to do ‘christmas’ for them, because anything you give them will enter into personal pockets.
On a final note, I want to say that, we have to be more proactive about the ills plaguing our football. I don’t think all the rantings we do here will do any good to us,because for years we have been ranting here without any tangible result. We need to start thinking about another approach.
Don’t the people behind these sham going on in SE, have office? Can’t one or two people in Nigeria dress up, meet them in the office and find out why they are running our football sector like an animal farm
My people,
Are you guys seeing another beautiful, quality and TV friendly pitch in Gabon. Who do us bad thing for 9ja nah???
#GABEGY
Meanwhile, there is some melodrama in Brazil. Brazil vs Argentina
#BRAARG
https://www.google.com/amp/s/football-italia.net/brazil-vs-argentina-interrupted-to-deport-players/amp/
Imagine immediately after the game the governor of Lagos said super eagles have a home in Lagos he did not say anything about the pitch of which he was in the stadium live for the match even up till now we have not seen the so called ex footballer to say anything about the pitch but if it’s t to condemn the coach for the team not doing well cos there is Messi, Ronaldo,Mpbape etc among our players so he should be beating every team even if they play on farmland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbnN1Le4Eog
A stadium RENOVATED for almost N6Bn with roofs leaking right at the point of commissioning…..LMAOOOoo
Nigeria we hail thee….!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDeQPnSSaU4
Once again, in year 2021, a government is building a soccer pitch without something as basic as a proper drainage system. Varsities and Colleges wouldnt even try that in sane climes.
One day, our administrators will understand that the most important part of a football stadium is the playing pitch. No matter how beautiful your stadium is, a terrible pitch defeats the essence of the whole stadium