“No hero ball”: AFCON hero’s powerful message to Super Eagles ahead of South Africa clash

Victor Osimhen and other Super Eagles players in buoyant mood while training in Bouaké ahead of their clash against South Africa. Photo: NFF.

Paul Okoku, a member of Nigeria’s team to the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire has reflected on the team’s journey back in 1984, and has called on the Super Eagles players “to play to instructions” and avoid “trying to be the hero” in Wednesday’s AFCON 2023 semi-final clash against South Africa.

The Super Eagles tackle the Bafana Bafana on Wednesday with a place in the final of the tournament beckoning for the three-time AFCON champions. Nigeria booked their record 15th semi-final berth in the championship, following their 1-0 victory over Angola in the quarter-final.

That win over Angola set up a juicy semi-final clash against the South Africans, this time not in Abidjan, where the former have been playing their games since the start of the AFCON on January 13, but in Bouaké, where the likes of Okoku lit up the championship 40 years ago when Cote d’Ivoire hosted CAF’s flagship championship for the first time.

Stephen Keshi challenges Cameroon’s Roger Milla during the 1984 AFCON final.

Okoku and the likes of Stephen Keshi, Rashidi Yekini, Humphrey Edobor, Peter Rufai, Yisa Sofoluwe, and other iconic Nigerian stars of that glorious era would end up finishing as runners-up after losing to Cameroon in the final, but the former Nigeria international is confident the current crop of Super Eagles stars can go one better than that AFCON 1984 and has urged Jose Peseiro’s men to etch their names in glory.

In a statement, ahead of Wednesday’s clash with South Africa, titled ‘Bouaké Chronicles: Super Eagles’ Historic Return & AFCON 2024 Anticipations against South Africa,’ Okoku said: