The Super Eagles may have missed out on the AFCON final, but the country’s most influential voices are rallying behind the team — led by BUA Group Chairman Abdul Samad Rabiu, who says his $500,000 pledge remains “active” despite Nigeria’s penalty shootout defeat to hosts Morocco.
Nigeria held Morocco to a tense 0–0 over 120 minutes in Rabat before losing 4–2 on penalties, with goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saving two spot-kicks.
Princess Gloria Adebajo-Fraser, MFR [Former Presidential Aide] — widely known in Nigerian football circles for her historic leadership of Stationery Stores FC, Lagos as the first female in global soccer to preside over a popular professional male soccer club — described the Super Eagles as “the true winners in spirit” for the way they defended, suffered, and stayed competitive until the final kick. She urged the squad to treat the defeat not as collapse, but as confirmation of their maturity and tactical discipline under pressure.
The football detail behind her praise.
Technically, Nigeria’s best work came without the ball. The Eagles’ mid-block stayed compact, narrowed Morocco’s central access, and forced the hosts into less clean angles — the kind of game plan built for knockout football. When Morocco tried to overload wide areas, Nigeria’s defensive rotations and recovery runs repeatedly turned danger into delay, pushing the match into extra time.
Where the contest slipped away was at the other end: Nigeria struggled to convert transitions into high-quality chances, and once a semi-final becomes a low-chance fight, penalties can decide it regardless of momentum.
Omokri: “Not for want of trying”.
Former presidential aide Reno Omokri echoed the mood of defiance rather than despair, saying the Super Eagles fell “not for want of trying” and should be proud of taking a strong host all the way.
Refereeing: criticism, but no proof.
CAF had appointed Ghanaian referee Daniel Laryea for the tie.
After the match, some Nigerians criticised aspects of officiating online, arguing that a few key moments were handled inconsistently.
Still, there is no publicly established evidence of bias — and the match ultimately turned on missed penalties, not a single decisive call.
Adebajo-Fraser’s global profile.
Adebajo-Fraser also reminded supporters that her football journey has long been international-facing: she says she was profiled decades ago by a BBC team led by Hilary Andersson, during Andersson’s time as the BBC’s Lagos correspondent in the late 1990s.
For BUA, keeping the pledge sends a bigger signal: Nigeria should reward courage, organisation and national pride — even when the last kick is cruel.
Imran Khazaly
Headlinenews.news Special report.
