Confederation Of African Football (CAF) has sent an official apology to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over the poor playing surface, where they lost 0-3 to Guinea-Bissau in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Super Eagles played the game at the Estadio National 24 de Setembro in Guinea-Bissau, a pitch which can easily pass as one of the worst ever to host an international game in the history of modern day football.
The pitch came under scrutiny before and during the Group L encounter, with Nigeria coach Eric Chelle describing the playing surface as “very, very bad” while insisting that it was not an excuse for his team’s performance.
According to reports, CAF has now barred the stadium from hosting further matches in the ongoing 2027 AFCON qualifying series.
The decision follows concerns over whether the venue met the required standards for an international future.
Nigeria were beaten by 3-0 by Guinea-Bissau, the result left Guinea -Bissau top of Group L with 6 points from 2 matches, while Nigeria remained on three points. CAF’s own matches report confirms the result and Guinea-Bissau strong start to the qualifying campaign.
The development comes after growing criticism of the conditions in Bissau.
National Sports Commission chairman Shehu Dikko had also questioned how the stadium was approved to host the fixture, citing concerns about the playing surface.
Guinea-Bissau were initially asked to play their games in Morocco because of the poor nature of the pitch, but they got CAF to approve it a month ago after extensive repairs but it got damaged before the game.
However, Guinea -Bissau must now find an alternative, CAF-approved venue outside the stadium for their remaining home fixtures in the qualifying campaign. Though the 3:0 result from the match remains unchanged.
Nigeria will now look to recover in their upcoming qualifiers, with the Super Eagles facing Tanzania twice on November.
-9News Nigeria.
