Finidi Defends Decision to Bench Boniface Against South Africa

• Boniface was left on the bench against South Africa

• Nigeria and South Africa settled for a 1-1 draw

• He has made 5 outings for Nigeria and scored a goal

Super Eagles head coach Finidi George has expressed his displeasure with reactions following the decision to leave Victor Boniface on the bench during Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against South Africa.

Despite Boniface’s outstanding season with Bayer Leverkusen, Finidi opted to start Paul Onuachu instead.

As the Super Eagles searched desperately for a winning goal, the coach introduced Terem Moffi and Raphael Onyedika late in the second half.

In the post-match press conference, Finidi explained the reasoning behind his decisions.

“We wanted to introduce Boniface and Moffi, but Semi had a knock and we had to take him off and introduce Moffi and Onyedika,” he said.

Addressing the criticism from fans and media, he added, “The fans and media would shout for different players. If they don’t perform well, the shout will be, take him off. Allow us to do our jobs.”

The Super Eagles remain winless in their World Cup qualifiers after three matches, having dropped six points from a possible nine.