A cross section of Nigerians are drumming support for Algeria to defeat the Super Eagles of Nigeria in their semi-finals clash at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
In a series of comments on the popular social media platform Facebook, they mentioned that their shift of support to the Algerian side was basically because of the dominance of players from a particular ethnic group in the country.
They bemoaned the non-dependence and alleged exclusion of Hausa and Muslim players from the Eric Chelle squad.
Drumming up his support for Algeria, Shariffiddeen Yahuza, in a statement on Facebook, said, “I support Algeria over Nigeria because the Nigerian team is dominated by Igbo players.”
Sharing similar sentiments, Muhammad S. Abubakhar Dakha wrote, “I’ll love Algeria to defeat Nigeria. I must hate whoever hates my Muslim brothers because the majority of Nigerian players chosen by the Super Eagles coach are from one tribe. I mean from the lazy Igbo tribe.”
The Algerian players have made a strong boast of sending the Super Eagles of Nigeria to Sambisa Forest after their semi-final match.
Speaking in a now viral video on Thursday, the Algerian side promised to earn a convincing victory against the Super Eagles.
Speaking to the cheering of the Algerian squad, Hicham Boudaoui, who plays for OGC Nice in the French Ligue 1, said, “Nigeria, hope you’re ready tomorrow because we have no option to send you back to Sambisa Forest.
Nigeria advanced to the quarterfinals with a 4-0 win against Mozambique, while Algeria defeated DR Congo 1-0 in extra time.
Saturday’s encounter is a rematch of the 2019 AFCON semi-final, which Algeria won 2-1 thanks to a spectacular late free kick by Riyad Mahrez.
The must-win encounter is set to kick off by 5 p.m. Nigerian time.
