Eagles take revenge on media

After enduring some harsh criticism following two poor results against Ivory Coast and Mali, the Super Eagles are taking their own pound of flesh from the Nigerian media by refusing to grant interviews.

After training on the eve of the Benin game, the team’s media co-ordinator Idah Peterside announced as usual that the press would have some time for interviews with players after the session. But unlike on previous occasions when the players would stay back and chat with the media, they made straight for the team bus.And after securing their passage to the last eight, the players shunned interviews with the media except for John Mikel Obi and Osaze Odemwingie who were designated to attend the official post match press conference.Peterside told KickOffNigeria.com that the players held a meeting and resolved not to speak to the press after the barrage of criticism they were subjected to, which sank to a new low when players’ family members received threats.The players held a meeting and decided that they don’t want to talk to the press anymore.But we are talking to them and we hope that now that we have qualified for the quarter-finals, they will reconsider in the spirit of the celebrations so that we can all be as one family as we approach the coming assignment.We are all in this together and we have to work together.But the media have to understand that these players are human beings too and it hurts them when they hear all these bad things being written and said about them.Today it is Makinwa, tomorrow it can be anybody.And they are not happy about it.No player goes on the pitch to go and play badly or lose.But football is football and sometimes things don’t go the way you want them to go.We expect the media to give the team support rather than trying to tear them down.As we say, we are talking to them and hopefully, we can resolve this quickly.KickOff-nigeria.comBut unlike on previous occasions when the players would stay back and chat with the media, they made straight for the team bus.And after securing their passage to the last eight, the players shunned interviews with the media except for John Mikel Obi and Osaze Odemwingie who were designated to attend the official post match press conference.Peterside told KickOffNigeria.com that the players held a meeting and resolved not to speak to the press after the barrage of criticism they were subjected to, which sank to a new low when players’ family members received threats.The players held a meeting and decided that they don’t want to talk to the press anymore.But we are talking to them and we hope that now that we have qualified for the quarter-finals, they will reconsider in the spirit of the celebrations so that we can all be as one family as we approach the coming assignment.We are all in this together and we have to work together.But the media have to understand that these players are human beings too and it hurts them when they hear all these bad things being written and said about them.Today it is Makinwa, tomorrow it can be anybody.And they are not happy about it.No player goes on the pitch to go and play badly or lose.But football is football and sometimes things don’t go the way you want them to go.We expect the media to give the team support rather than trying to tear them down.As we say, we are talking to them and hopefully, we can resolve this quickly.KickOff-nigeria.com

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