Super Eagles stand-in captain Leon Balogun has knocked the Algerian fans for booing Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani and co for failing to turn up against Nigeria in the final 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match at the Stade Chahid Hamlaou in Constantine.
Algeria played under new coach Rabah Madjer for the first time in the qualifiers but will end up bottom of group B after failing to win a single game and finished with two points, thanks to Friday’s result.
Les Fennecs fans booed their stars who performed below par; with perhaps the exception of captain Yacine Brahimi, who scored the leveler from the penalty spot.
During the post-match presser, Balogun addressed the home fans’ lack of support for the team and argued it contrasted the solidarity shown by the Nigerian fans in the stand, a point he reiterated in a chat with the Super Eagles official media.
Balogun stressed that the support of the Super Eagles fans had been key to the team’s success through the qualifying campaign.
” I spoke to the press after the game and I said that I didn’t like the way the Algerian supporters booed their own team.
” At the end we’re just human beings, there can be times where we perform well and there can be times where we perform bad.
“I think it has been key to our competition that we always had our fans behind us and that is something great,” Balogun offered.
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