Former Super Eagles Nwanu defender slams Bonfrere Jo

TRACKING ___Super Eagles of Nigeria defender Chidi Nwanu has taken a swipe at former coach of the Nigerian senior men’s football team, Bonfrere Jo.

Responding to a question in an interview with Vanguard Sports concerning the allegation by Bonfrere that former coach Westerhof sold Nigeria out at the round of 16 fixture against Italy at the USA 94 FIFA world cup.

The former ACB of Lagos defender said: “Honestly, Westerhof did not sell any match and the verdict (A Dutch court found Bonfrere Jo guilty of defamation against Westerhof ) is correct. What Bonfrere Jo did to Nigerian football was so bad. He was a desperate man. After all, it was Westerhof that took him to Nigeria as an assistant, as a fitness trainer, not even as an assistant coach. You can see that Nigerians are easily swayed, either because of the colour or whatever, they trust a white man more than a black man.

What he did in America against Nigeria should attract sanction and a claim for damages, because it was a betrayal of trust. Surprisingly, they made him succeed Westerhof and he took Nigeria to Atlanta ’96 Olympics, which I don’t want to talk about because most of the people that played there were in the World Cup team, but when they came back from Atlanta, the same people that cost us Italy match began calling us Papa Eagles. Were most of them not married?”

He also indicted Bonfrere in the alleged rebellion against coach Westerhof during USA 94 world cup

Nwanu said: “It was Bonfrere that backed the rebellion against Westerhof in America and from that moment, I didn’t want to have anything to do with him(Bonfrere) anymore. I had his record on the tips of my fingers. He was coaching a second division team in Holland, just behind me here. He challenged the referee because the team was doing badly, he was suspended for eleven months and the club had to sack him and took somebody else. He never coached any big team here; not even a first-class team.

The same thing Nigeria did later; somebody who coached an amateur club and was sacked after three months. He had no experience, nothing. You all saw what he did to Nigeria football. From that time till now, Nigeria football has never felt its place again. It has lost everything; the ovation, the atmosphere, the passion is all gone. That is how wrong choices kill a nation’s dream.”