Turkish Referee, Cuneyt Cakin, told Super Eagles Captain, Mikel Obi, that he did not know why he did not award a clear penalty for Nigeria following the handball of Argentine defender, Marcus Rojo, on Tuesday evening.
Mikel, who confronted the referee and implored him to check with VAR to confirm that Rojo actually handled the ball in the 82nd minute, said the referee saw the proof but still did not award a penalty to Nigeria.
Speaking at the post-match briefing in St Petersburg, Mikel said:
“I asked the referee if he thought the ball struck Rojo’s hand and he said “Yes”. The referee told me that the ball came off Rojo’s head before it hit his hand.”
The ball makes contact with Marcus Rojo’s left hand as the Defender attempts to clear the ball from the Argentine 18-Yard box under pressure from Super Eagles Forward, Odion Ighalo.
“I then asked Cakur why he didn’t award the penalty to Nigeria, he said: ‘I don’t know.’ That was sad because we checked the match video in the dressing room and it was a clear penalty kick. When the ball touches your hand in the penalty box, it’s a penalty. No two ways about that. Maybe he didn’t want to give us the second penalty. It is sad we had to exit the competition this way.”
— Mikel Obi
jinx
The Super Eagles have suffered a defeat at the World Cup group level to Argentina for the fifth time and Nigerians had hoped that the new stock of young players would break the jinx, sad it had to end the same way yet in another World Cup.
Speaking about his future with the team, Mikel said he would be thrilled to lead the squad in the coming future. The once very-young players now have World Cup experiences and will be more prepared for a do-over 4 years from now.
“I’m happy playing with this bunch of players. I expect them to grow into a great side and I think this team would make a good impression in the next four years. They are good boys with bright future. Of course, we did everything we could; we pushed and pushed to get the goal but it was not to be. We want to thank all Nigerians for their support; we have to keep going.
— Mikel Obi
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