CHAN 2018: Equatorial Guinea Coach Rodolfo: We Lost To Nigeria Because Of Referee’s Bad Decisions

Equatorial Guinea head coach, Rodolfo Bodipo, has blamed the centre referee, Abou Coulibaly, for their 3-1 loss to Nigeria on Tuesday in Agadir. Having lost all three group games and scoring only once throughout the tournament, Rodolfo claimed that the outcome of their game against Nigeria’s Home Eagles would have been different if the referee hadn’t made a set of decisions that ailed his side, and led to their defeat in the final Group C game at the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN). The Guinea boys had a great start as they made it to the scoreboard in the 40th minute with a swift header from Nsi Eyama. At this point, Coach Rodolfo expected his side to hold their ground and maybe secure a win (their only win) but luck was not in their side as goals from Anthony Okpotu, Dayo Ojo, and a penalty goal from substitute Rabiu Ali, ended their short-term reign on the pitch. Rodolfo Bodipo, when asked during his post-match briefing with journalists, blamed the outcome of the game on referee Coulibaly, stating that the centre referee had delayed his player on the sideline, for too long before Nigeria’s equalizer. He also added that the clash between Guinea’s defender and Okpotu inside the box would have ended a bit different from a penalty shot. When questioned if the offense should have been a penalty, he said: “No, of course, but things like these happen to small countries like us..” He continued, “We didn’t win though, but we have reservations with the officiating for the first goal we conceded. We were one man down and the referee delayed the player getting back on the pitch. The third goal was not a clean penalty.” “As I said earlier, we came here with this young team to gain experience.We played a strong team in Nigeria,” he added. Featured Image Credit: www.thenationonlineng.net

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This article was first published on 24th January 2018

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