Former Kaizer Chiefs and Super Eagles goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi has weighed in on the contentious goal that saw Nigeria equalise against Bafana Bafana, offering his opinion on the handball controversy.
In a crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier, Bafana and Nigeria battled to a 1-1 draw at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday night.
But Hugo Broos’ troops will feel hard done by Gabonese referee Pierre Ghislain Atcho, as they appeared to have been denied some deserved three points.
The encounter saw Bafana take the lead in the 25th minute when a cross from Mohau Nkota was deflected into the net by Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong for an own goal. However, just before halftime, the visitors equalised in controversial fashion as Calvin Bassey headed the ball in, but it appeared to come off his arm.
Atcho and his assistants, Boris Marlaise Ditsoga, Amos Abeigne Ndong, and Cregue Fleury Moukagni, missed the call. And with no VAR to review the incident, the goal stood.
Although Nigeria earned a controversial point, they needed a win to keep their hopes of topping Group C alive. Bafana remain in a commanding position with 17 points, sitting six points clear of third-placed Nigeria. They have three points more than Benin, who are second and on course to secure a World Cup ticket.
AKPEYI ADMITS NIGERIA ‘BENEFITED’ FROM CONTROVERSIAL GOAL
Akpeyi was quick to admit that the Super Eagles “benefited” from the controversial goal. However, he insisted that the angle made it extremely difficult for the referee to see the handball.
“With the referee standing behind, he couldn’t get the view of the action, so he was also a bit far away from the action,” said the ex-Amakhosi goalie.
“It was difficult for him to be able to pick that, whether it hit the hand or not. Not even the linesman can see from that far, and unfortunately, there is no VAR for the referee to go back to the TV and check. But in my view, Nigeria benefited, and we hope that this will help us to get the other points that we need to qualify for the World Cup.”
When questioned on whether he would lead the charge to petition FIFA to have the goal overturned, Akpeyi candidly responded that he wouldn’t mind another goal scored by hand as long as it ensured Nigeria’s qualification for the World Cup.
“If we had an extra hand on the goal to bring another ball in the net, I wouldn’t mind having that so that Nigeria can be in the World Cup because not qualifying would be a big blow…,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bafana coach Broos shared a similar view on the incident, confirming it was a clear handball. But, he insisted his team should have defended better to prevent the goal from being scored in the first place.
“If we had defended a bit more aggressively, the goal would have never happened,” Broos stated. “Secondly, it was a handball, but okay, the game ended 1-1, and you can expect a fight from Nigeria.
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