The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, has provided clarification regarding the absence of the Super Eagles from the official medal ceremony following the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.
Although Nigeria clinched the bronze medal on Saturday by defeating Egypt “4–2 on penalties in the playoff match,” the squad was not present in Rabat on Sunday to collect their honors.
Gusau explained that the players were under immense pressure from their professional teams to return immediately.
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In a statement shared on X by journalist Osasu Obayiuwana, Gusau noted that the “players could not wait to receive their medals on Sunday” because “their clubs were already after them to come back after Saturday’s game.”
He emphasized that this logistical hurdle was not unique to the Nigerian team, stating, “this is the case for Egypt too, not just us.”
Gusau confirmed that he currently has “the medals in my possession” and suggested that the issue could have been avoided if the presentation had been scheduled differently. “Had the medal ceremony taken place on the day of the match, they would have had the medals,” he remarked.
Despite the ceremony mishap, the victory secured Nigeria’s ninth third-place finish, further cementing their status as the most successful nation in the history of the AFCON bronze-medal playoff.
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