Former Nigeria international Samuel Sodje has criticised the reaction of Nigerian football fans to South Africa’s three-point deduction by FIFA, describing it as “embarrassing”.

FIFA penalised Bafana Bafana for fielding an ineligible midfielder, Teboho Mokoena, in their World Cup qualifier against Lesotho.

The decision saw South Africa’s 2-0 victory overturned into a 3-0 defeat, with three points deducted from their tally.

The sanction has left South Africa on 14 points, level with Benin Republic, while Nigeria remain third with 11 points, three behind Bafana, keeping their hopes of qualification alive.

But Sodje, speaking to Soccernet.ng, said it was shameful that Nigerians were celebrating administrative sanctions rather than focusing on the Super Eagles’ performances on the pitch.

“It’s nice to see FIFA doing what they have to do. For South Africa, they did break the rules, and they’ve taken three points off them. That’s normal,” Sodje said.

He continued, “What’s surprising now is Nigerians seeing this as big news. I think it’s embarrassing. With the kind of players we have, a big footballing nation like Nigeria shouldn’t be celebrating three points being taken off South Africa. We should be earning results ourselves.”

Sodje further argued that Nigeria’s current situation reflects poorly on the team’s standards, “We’ve put ourselves in a situation where we had to depend on others losing points. If we have any slim chance, hopefully we can earn it on the pitch. That’s the only way.”

With only two games remaining, Group C remains highly competitive. South Africa and the Benin Republic lead on 14 points, while Nigeria and Rwanda are close behind on 11 each. Lesotho, though further down, are still mathematically in contention.

The Super Eagles now face a must-win scenario in their final fixtures if they are to secure a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.