Former Nigeria international Mutiu Adepoju is confident the Super Eagles will not be under pressure playing in Lagos.
The Eagles are scheduled to play their last 2022 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Lesotho at the Teslim Balogun Stadium later this month.
The match against Lesotho comes up three days after the game against Benin Republic in Porto Novo.
Lagos last hosted a competitive game with the team 20 years ago, when they beat Zambia 1-0 in a 2002 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on January 13, 2001, at the National Stadium.
And commenting on the decision to have the game played in Lagos, Adepoju said: “ Football is coming back home, irrespective of how difficult Lagos fans are. I’m sure the players can take and cope with the pressure of playing in Lagos.
“They have experienced such pressure in their careers at club level,” He told brila.net.
The Eagles top Group L on eight points and are closely followed by Benin Republic.
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COMMENTS
that means they have to score early goal because my lagos fans dont take shit
Will their be fans in the stadium ? What kind of pressure was he talking about
So why is Mutiu talking about pressure in Lagos when nobody will be allowed to watch the match?
@Odion and Amadi. Biko help me ask them what pressure they’re talking about in a stadium that will be near empty by the time we play Lesotho.
Moreso, there has been a huge paradigm shift in the culture of football supportership in Nigeria. Today’s fans are not the same generation as hooligans we used to have in the 80s and 90s. Our U17s played Spain in 2009 while the SE played S/L in 2011 in this same TBS and the atmosphere was not in anyway hostile on both occasions. The Falcons recently failed to qualify for the Olympics in same Lagos and in Agege of all places, yet the heavens did not fall, neither were the players assaulted or harrased during or after the game. So I really dont understand this imaginary fuss of Lagos fans this, Lagos fans that. Its not like they will come with bows and arrows to the stadium.
The generation that made playing in Lagos as it were are already nearing their 60s and 70s now. That generation witnessed Lagos as home of our national teams and Challenge cup/FA cup and club continental games. No meaningful football has been played in Lagos in 20 whole years. This generation arent even used to seeing the SE in Lagos yet. Lets tone down this “expectation” of Lagos fans. Yes they are gonna be there in their numbers but they’ll be no different from UYO, PORT HARCOUT, CALABAR, ASABA or ABUJA fans