Aghahowa: Why winning bronze at AFCON 2025 is important
Former Super Eagles striker Julius has explained why it is important to win at least a bronze at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Nigeria ended their campaign at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco with a bronze medal.
The team’s celebration of finishing third drew criticism of ex-Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh, who described it as “mediocrity” to be content with winning a losers final.
“Where I sat in the media Tribune, the other pundits were mocking us. It is mediocrity to celebrate a bronze. There was a time that players would cry if we won a bronze. Anything but the trophy was a failure,” Oliseh said.
“Celebrating third-place breeds a culture of mediocrity. We must remember the decline of our dominance began exactly when we started being contented with bronze. If we want to be Africa’s best again, wild celebration of anything less than gold must stop immediately.”
But Aghahowa, who won a silver and bronze at AFCON, said it is important not to return from the tournament empty handed.
“The bronze medal is still quite important because you cannot go to a tournament and not come home with something. So I congratulate them in this tournament,” he stated.
Nwankwo Kanu and Ifeanyi Udeze are among other ex-internationals who have disagreed with Oliseh’s position on the matter.
