“My accent is terrible” — Super Eagles Tolu Arokodare schools troll following criticism for not speaking Yoruba

Just days after emerging as the unlikely hero in Nigeria’s crucial 1-0 victory over Rwanda in the World Cup qualifiers, Super Eagles forward Tolu Arokodare found himself caught in a linguistics crossfire. 

The 24-year-old, who sealed Nigeria’s crucial win in Uyo on Saturday, had to turn his focus from goals to gossip after a video surfaced on X questioning his Yoruba language proficiency.

In the clip, Arokodare wad asked by an interviewer to share a message in his local language for Nigerian fans ahead of the Rwanda clash. 

Visibly shy, he responded: “a fe ke support wa.. ki e wa leyin wa… that’s all I can say.”

Roughly translated, it means, “We want you to support us… come stand behind us.” 

However, the social media user who uploaded the viral clip, captioning it: “Tolu Arokodare was born in Nigeria. Lived in Festac, Lagos until 2019… He suddenly cannot speak Yoruba again in 2025. Some of them think it’s a flex or something.”

Hours later, the Lagos-born star took to the comments of the viral clip to address the ridicule.

 “And just to clarify things, I never said I don’t speak Yoruba. It’s just my accent is terrible, I don’t know some words but then I understand better than I speak,” the Wolves striker wrote.

“Thank you children of God. There are better things to talk about than another man’s language speaking.” 

Arokodare’s candid admission offered a glimpse into the personal weight that cultural expectations can place on professional athletes.

Meanwhile, today’s fixture looms even larger.

The Super Eagles are set to face South Africa at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein, Free State at 5:00 PM local time. 

Nigeria must defeat the group leaders, Bafana Bafana, to keep their slim hopes of World Cup qualification alive.