Onome Ebi Defends Struggling Super Eagles Of Nigeria

Super Falcons legend, Onome Ebi, has defended the Super Eagles’ abysmal performance in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Onome Ebi, currently the captain of an Abuja-based women’s club, Naija Ratels, believes the criticism aimed at the Super Eagles players has been too overwhelming over a momentary poor run of form.

Recall that the Super Eagles of Nigeria commenced their 2026 World Cup qualifiers campaign against lowly-rated Lesotho in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, last Thursday. To the dismay of most Eagles’ supporters, the game ended in a 1-1 draw as the Nigerian team fought from a goal down to grab a point.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Super Eagles faced another lowly-rated team, Zimbabwe, in their second game in the qualification series on a neutral ground in Rwanda. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, and the Eagles had to fight back from a goal down.

Following these two unexpected results, the Eagles are currently ranked third in Group C, two points behind Rwanda, who upset South Africa on Tuesday.

The team’s dismal performance has infuriated the supporters, who have already called for the dismissal of coach Jose Peseiro. They are also urging football authorities in Nigeria to drop the country’s current first-choice goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho, who they believe has been a big problem for the Eagles.

But on her part, Onome Ebi, who is the first African to play in five FIFA World Cups, argued that the Eagles, like all professional players, need the support of football enthusiasts, not name-calling.

The 40-year-old football veteran wrote on Instagram, “They are gradually killing the beautiful game in my country with so much negativity.

“Football is supposed to be enjoyed, and players giving all to make the country proud are supposed to be encouraged and supported.

“It’s really sad to know that we have the best players in the world, but it is difficult to win games convincingly these days. It is really sad.

“We need that full support and enough of all this calling out players, insulting, and discouraging them after a bad game. Players go through a lot after all this, please lovers of football we can do better to help each other.

“Truly, some people don’t understand how it feels to lose a game or play below expectations. Some players never recover from it. Some experienced players are strong enough to encourage the rest. Some go off playing for some time to recover. Football is not just about playing on the field, It’s beyond. You wonder why players always ask the fans for their support and why it is because it goes a long way to motivate and encourage the players. Please let’s change our ways toward football players. It’s destroying the beauty of the game.”