Former South Africa international Helman Mkhalele has claimed that Nigerians always say bad things about the Bafana Bafana in the past amid the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Mkhalele also insisted that the Super Eagles don’t confidently claim dominance over the Bafana Bafana anymore.
Speaking via SABC Sport ahead of Nigeria’s AFCON semi-final clash with South Africa on Wednesday, Mkhalele also recalled his past experience with the Super Eagles in Lagos.
“Going to that game, I still remember when we landed in Lagos, people were raising their hands and said, ‘You are going to get [beaten by] five’,” Mkhalele said.
“If you saw, there was so much, ‘that hatred,’ and I believe maybe as a team, we could not handle that type of pressure [before the match].
“But when we got onto the pitch, I would say we made some mistakes that cost us dearly, and playing against a top team with top players in Africa – even the world, I think that sealed our fate because you can’t make mistakes against top players.
“All of a sudden it was 2-0, and to have to chase that game was really hard.
“Going forward from 2000, the Nigerians were always mocking us and saying bad things about us, but fortunately over the years, we started to close that gap.
“Even now, today, I still believe that as much as they claim dominance, they are no longer claiming it with that same confidence. So, that is what I believe our players will just carry [into the game], because they just want to make history for themselves.”