Super Eagles and Real Sociedad striker Sadiq Umar has expressed frustration over the treatment Nigerian players receive from fans, highlighting the negative impact it has on their performances and morale.
The 27-year-old forward, who was a surprise inclusion in Augustine Eguavoen’s squad for the recent AFCON 2025 qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda, admitted that it has become increasingly difficult to play for the national team due to the lack of support from Nigerian fans.
“If things continue like this, there are lots of players that will not like to play for the Super Eagles. When we come to play here, it’s not about the money, it’s for the love, you understand. Where you feel is your home, they tell you it’s not.
“When you go to Europe to play, you’re loved and supported there, but when you come to your country, your people begin to ask what you’re doing and who brought you, even telling you to return to Europe.”
Sadiq’s comments come after a season in which he has struggled to find the back of the net, failing to score so far. Despite his lack of form, he was called up to the national team, but he only played a single minute in Nigeria’s 1-0 loss to Rwanda.
The former Rangers striker further lamented the treatment of his teammates, revealing that many players are mentally affected by harsh criticism on social media. “There are some of my teammates (Super Eagles) that are down after every game we play because the fans are killing them on social media. Even if you don’t see comments, your name still gets mentioned,” he added.
Sadiq also touched on how the negative attitude towards players is not coming from European fans, but from their own supporters. “Back in the days, they always told us to be careful because they won’t let us be ourselves in Europe, but now, it has nothing to do with the Europeans, we are the ones killing ourselves,” he said.
Football these days is about mentality. If you’re not mentally tough, you cannot play football,” Sadiq said in an interview with OmaSports TV.
He should shut up