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*Says Obasanjo Only Gave Handshake When Eagles Won Silver In 2000 AFCON
Impressed with the reception and gift showered on the current group of Super Eagles players that won silver at the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, a former Super Eagles winger, Tijani Babangida has hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The President had honoured the team with a national honour, MON, and gift of flat and land in the FCT.
In a chat in Abuja, Babangida said he could not help but compare this gesture with how the former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo only gave them a handshake when they won the same silver at the 2000 AFCON played in Nigeria.
Babangida, who is the current President of the Professional Footballer Association of Nigeria , PFAN was full of praises for President Tinubu,
According to him, this kind of gesture would go a long way in motivating young Nigerians to want to represent the country.
"When I look back to how we were treated by the former President it was never a thing of joy. We gave the best, we got to the final and we only lost through a penalty shootout. And technically, we even won the tournament if not for the mistake of the match officials who failed to recognize that Ikpeba penalty was a goal.
"Sometimes this kind of recognition has a way of giving you a sense of belonging. And this is what President Tinubu has demonstrated. As the President of Nigeria players union I humbly salute him.
"My prayer is that our players would record more victories during his tenure as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because he has demonstrated that he is fully ready to support football and sports in general," he stated