Nigeria’s Beach Soccer team, the Sand Eagles, fell short of qualification for the 2024 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after a narrow 6-5 defeat on aggregate to Mauritania, despite winning the first leg away.
Head Coach Abdullahi Isa expressed his disappointment, pointing the finger at the officiating for the team’s elimination.
“Unluckily for us, we lost the game, we tried our best but we couldn’t win,” Isa admitted. However, he went on to heavily criticize the referee’s performance:
“I’m disappointed in the officiating, I don’t know what happened, maybe they came with their own rules, I don’t know,” Isa said. “They gave out three straight hits, penalties down there. At last seconds, we conceded another one, which I don’t see as one at all, but that’s the game.”
While acknowledging the team’s effort, Isa seemed to believe the officiating had a significant impact on the final result.
Nigeria had initially secured an away victory in the first leg held in Nouakchott, Mauritania. However, they were unable to hold onto the lead in the return leg played on home soil.
Egypt will be the host nation for the 2024 Beach Soccer AFCON, where they will be joined by the other qualified teams.
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