…’He sat down naked and cursed Nigeria’
By The9jaTREND
Former Super Eagles captain
Sunday Oliseh, has suggested that a curse placed on the team over two decades ago could be the reason for their current struggles to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Super Eagles in 2002 had successfully overturned a five-point deficit to Liberia to secure Nigeria’s spot at the World Cup.
However, Oliseh and a few others reportedly demanded the payment of outstanding allowances after their impact but were controversially dropped from the South Korea and Japan World Cup squads.
The coaching staff that masterminded the qualification campaign, a trio of Shuaibu Amodun, Joe Erico and Stephen Keshi, were dismissed.
Speaking on a recent podcast, Oliseh revealed that late coach Joe Erico laid a curse on Nigerian football that may still be in effect today.
According to Oliseh on the Bet9ja podcast, “Coach Erico made it very clear before his death that what they did to us in 2002, he sat down in his room naked and he cursed Nigeria.”
The Ex-Super Eagles captain praised the trio, particularly Keshi, for their dedication in turning the team’s fortunes around during the qualifiers.
“We were five points behind Liberia in the qualifiers, just like what’s happening currently. Everyone had written us off, but when they took over, we became united,” he explained.
“Keshi phoned me from the United States while I organised the players, and gradually, we built ourselves.”
The 51-year-old credited the coaching staff for inspiring players like Julius Aghahowa and Yakubu Aiyegbeni to elevate their performances.
“Yakubu went to Sudan… and scored two goals,” he recalled. “How can a manager work things out this way, and when it’s time for the World Cup, he was dropped?”
“They even went with players who didn’t play in the qualifiers… They did all that and destroyed the team. I personally feel that was when the Super Eagles got destroyed,” he concluded.