Super Eagles defender Kenneth Omeruo and former Nigeria international Desire Oparanozie have voiced their displeasure with CAF's officials for disallowing Ademola Lookman's goal against Libya on Friday, Soccernet.ng reports.
Nigeria claimed a narrow 1-0 win over Libya's Meditteranean Knights at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo with Fisayo Dele-Bashiru netting a late winner for the Super Eagles.
The game was still goalless in the 83rd minute when Lookman thought he had handed Nigeria the lead with a well-worked strike.
The Atalanta winger exchanged a one-two pass with AC Milan's Samuel Chukwueze, before expertly slotting the ball past Libya's goalkeeper Murad Al Wuheeshi.
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However, controversial Malawian referee Godfrey Philip Nkhakananga, on the advice of his compatriot assistant Clemence Kanduku, wrongfully ruled the strike off for offside.
The decision took former Super Falcons striker Oparanozie by surprise as she questioned why such a goal without dent would be chalked off.
“No VAR in Uyo? There's no dent on Lookman's goal,” Oparanozie wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“Poor officiating,” Oparanozie, who won four African Women's Championship titles with Nigeria, concluded shortly after.
2013 Africa Cup of Nations star Kenneth Omeruo was also not impressed with the officiating from the Malawians. The Kasimpasa defender urged CAF to make VAR available for the qualifiers.
“CAF do better. Make VAR available. Lookman goal just got canceled,” Omeruo complained.
It would be recalled that Lookman also had a legitimate goal wrongly overruled in Nigeria's goalless draw with Rwanda in Kigali last month.
The Atalanta forward, who has been backed for the Ballon d'Or by Italian manager Gian Piero Gasperini, has two goals in three Africa Cup of Nations qualifying games for Nigeria.
for CAF referees robbing Nigeria has become a norm, it’s like someone somewhere has vowed to keep doing it, and up till now nothing has been done about it, when Senegal was wronged in South Africa during the last world cup qualifier the game was replayed , but such has never happened in case of Nigeria Every tournament, every qualifications Nigeria always has a story to tell about wrongful decisions of the official, I begin to believe it’s been done deliberately.