Former Super Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh has said that he came off the bench at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to play despite having malaria.

Speaking to CAFOnline, Oliseh who captained the squad aid that losing to Cameroon in the final was painful to him.

“I have mixed feelings about the 2000 AFCON because as the host nation, we did our best to get through to the final but it was very sad the way we lost it,” he said.
Advertisement

“We not only lost the trophy but it was as if something had been taken away from us. We felt sad because it could have been a wonderful gift to the fans on home soil especially since we had invested so much in the tournament.”

He aded, “Nothing but the love for my country made me come off the bench against Senegal. I had malaria and was dehydrated at the same time too and I was not even supposed to be on the bench,” he said.

“But Coach Jo Bonfrere insisted I should be on the bench because my presence ‘would boost the team’s spirit’.

“We were losing some minutes to the end of the match when I was introduced. It was a risk but it was never going to be an option for Nigeria to go out of the competition at that stage.”

Oliseh went on to become the coach of the Super Eagles after 54 international caps.