Super Eagles news: Akor Adams sends dig at CAF, Guinea-Bissau after 3-0 drubbing – “A bare minimum”

Super Eagles striker Akor Adams has aimed a subtle dig at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Guinea-Bissau following Nigeria's 3–0 loss in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers last Tuesday, Soccernet.ng reports.

​Nigeria suffered one of their most embarrassing defeats in history last Tuesday, as Guinea-Bissau, a team ranked 106 places below them in the FIFA rankings, thrashed them 3–0 at the Estádio 24 de Setembro.

​Goals from Mama Baldé, Franculino Djú, and Álvaro Djaló sealed the win for the Djurtus on the day. The Super Eagles, on the other hand, failed to turn up. Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was poor, the defending was shambolic at times, and the attack looked completely blunt.

​Before and after the game, the pitch in Bissau was under the spotlight, as it looked in very poor condition and unsuitable for football.

​Chelle complained about it after the match as one of the reasons Nigeria lost.

​That loss places the Super Eagles in a precarious situation, as they sit second in Group L of the qualifiers, three points behind Guinea-Bissau. If they drop points again, they could be in deep trouble — especially since only one other team will qualify from the group due to the presence of co-hosts Tanzania, who have an automatic qualification spot.

​Super Eagles: What Akor Adams Said About Guinea-Bissau's Pitch

​Venezia striker Akor Adams also struggled in that match, finding it difficult to even complete basic passes.

​In a fresh interview with the Super Eagles media team, he spoke about the defeat. While admitting that the squad had no excuses, he emphasized that the standard of the pitch was unacceptable and portrayed African football in a negative light.

​”I think there are many factors that come into play in a game, but it’s not a match we should lose, and we have to take responsibility for that. We have taken responsibility for it,” Adams said.

​”It’s a game we prepared very well for. We knew how important it was to us in the qualification phase. Looking back, we are already making corrections.

​”We were at our worst that day as a group. We know how good we can be at our best. The captain was furious with us. Many of the boys were devastated.

​”A good pitch should be the bare minimum for African football; this we all know. I am not making excuses—we are professionals, and we know that a lot of factors come into the game: the weather, the referee, whatever the circumstance, we should be able to find our way. But a good pitch should be the bare minimum given how good African football is, and that was not the case on that day,” Adams added.

@NGSuperEagles forward @AkorjeromeAdams recounts the Guinea-Bissau experience

🎥 @thenff

#disfootballsef https://t.co/j8OGnYnSo6

— Andrew Randa (@RandaAndrew) October 4, 2026

In reality, the pitch the the Estadio 24 de Setembro looked very bad and did not help Nigeria's case since all the players ply their trades in Europe where there are standard pitches. This places the searchlight on CAF and their accreditation process for pitches used in Africa.

In earnest, some pitches in Nigeria which CAF has rejected or refused to check in the recent past are at par or even better than the one in Guinea-Bissau.

Still, it is also key to note that most of the Djurtus play abroad too, and are used to better pitches. But they were still able to perform.

Next up for the Super Eagles is a freindly game against Russia on Tuesday. Coach Eric Chelle does not have most of his usual suspects for the game, but Adams is still on the team. They will be looking to redeem themselves with a win.