Oliseh, a key figure in the Super Eagles’ ‘Class of 94’—renowned for their impressive performance at the 1994 World Cup in the USA—believes the disconnect between his generation and the current crop of Nigerian internationals stems from a lack of respect. During an interview with Nigerian journalist Matthew Edafe on Elegbete TV, Oliseh attributed the ongoing clashes between recent and older generations of Super Eagles players to this issue.
“It boils down to respect,” Oliseh stated. “The current generations, the ones who see themselves as stars, have little respect for those who came before them. Especially those who came before them that are bigger than them.”
Sunday Oliseh
Oliseh explained that his generation always deferred respect to their predecessors, citing examples such as Segun Odegbami, a key player in Nigeria’s first AFCON win in 1980. Despite personal disagreements, Oliseh maintained respect and resolved issues privately. He contrasted this with the behavior of newer generations, who he feels do not uphold these respectful practices.
“Not every generation is like that,” Oliseh continued. “Nobody from my generation ever calls the 1980 generation by name. Like you see Mr. Segun Odegbami, we don’t call him Segun or Odegbami; we call him Big Sheg. You see captain Christian Chukwu of the 1980s; we don’t call him Chukwu; we call him the Chairman because he was the chairman of the defense back then. The same with Mr. Adokie Amesimaka; we don’t call him Adokie Amesimaka; we call him the name of the legal system (Chief Justice). It’s a sign of respect.”
Oliseh highlighted the importance of maintaining respect even when facing criticism. He shared an instance where he was criticized by Odegbami but chose to address the issue privately, maintaining respect throughout the interaction. According to Oliseh, this respectful behavior has diminished in more recent generations, contributing to the ongoing clashes.
He further criticized the lack of success of the recent Super Eagles generations, implying that their achievements do not match those of previous generations.
