Former Nigeria striker Victor Agali has given a fresh account of the events that resulted in his dismissal from the Super Eagles squad during the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia.
Agali, who was part of a three-man group sent home by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), said he felt unfairly treated after being expelled from the camp together with teammates Celestine Babayaro and Yakubu Aiyegbeni. The players had been included in the 23-man roster named by coach Christian Chukwu, but all three saw their tournament end after just one match.
The incident occurred following Nigeria’s 1-0 defeat to Morocco in the opening game. Agali — who had only returned to international duty ahead of the tournament after a spell away from the national team — said the decision to remove the trio followed what he described as a misunderstanding at the team hotel.
“I was just in the bar in the same hotel with my guys – Celestine Babayaro and Yakubu Aiyegbeni, sharing wine and we were just chilling and someone was checking the room and came to a conclusion that we went to a club and I said ‘what? Which club?”, Agali added. “I was surprised when we were called to come to the coach’s room and he said we had to leave the camp. Then I said ‘no problem, I don’t have anything to prove to you guys’.”
Agali outlined that his return to the national side had been encouraged by the late Taiwo Ogunjobi, then NFF president, who he says reassured him matters would be “fine and cool.” “The late Taiwo Ogunjobi approached me ahead of the 2004 African Cup of Nations and guaranteed me that everything will be fine and cool, which I agreed,” Agali said.
The forward, who formerly played in France for Marseille and Nice and in Germany for Schalke 04, recalled being on the bench in Nigeria’s first match and playing briefly in the second half when the team lost. He defended his behaviour after that match, arguing that as a professional he would normally rest and mentally move on to the next fixture.
“So I came, took my time and I was on the bench for the first match and came on in the second half, but couldn’t do much and we lost that game. After the game, normally I’m a professional player, my coach at my club side don’t sit me down two or three days after the game to want to see what I’m doing. As a professional player, you go home after a game and try to relax and forget about the game because it’s gone and then you look up to the next one. You can’t clear your head in the room, you’re not in prison.”
Despite the absence of Agali, Babayaro and Yakubu for the remainder of the tournament, Nigeria recovered to secure the bronze medal, beating Mali 2-1 in the third-place play-off. Captain Jay-Jay Okocha was later named Player of the Tournament.
Agali’s recollection sheds new light on a disciplinary episode that has remained part of the wider conversation about Nigeria’s team management and player relations at major tournaments. He framed his exit as a response to a misunderstanding and emphasised his professionalism and readiness to move on when asked to leave the camp.
