Rufai 'comes clean' on 98 WCup1

Former Nigerian goalkeeper, Peter
Rufai has exclusively told
supersport.com that he was not
prepared to go to the Fifa World Cup
when he got the call to represent the
Super Eagles at the 1998 edition in
France.
Rufai conceded nine goals in Nigeria’s four games
at the competition managing just one clean sheet
in the Super Eagles’ second preliminary game
against Bulgaria on June 19 at the Parc des Princes,
Paris.
The 50-year-old has now lifted the lid on the
controversial nature of his inclusion in the squad
following late injuries to Dosu Joseph and Ike
Shorunmu who were both expected to man the
sticks for Nigeria at the tournament.
“To be honest, I didn’t feel good about the 1998
World Cup. I had been out of the team and I was not
expecting to go to France. I was in Madrid at the
time with several friends of mine on the books of
Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
“We had already planned a joint holiday in Cuba.
That was when I received a call from the Nigerian
football authorities asking that I report to the
team’s camp,” Rufai said.
Nigeria won her two opening games at the World
Cup against Spain and Bulgaria with Rufai manning
the sticks but heavy defeats followed, the nadir
represented by a shock 1-4 loss to Denmark in the
round of 16.
Many blamed Rufai for the defeat but the former
Deportivo La Coruna goalkeeper revealed that he
had a choice to turn his back on the nation when he
was initially asked to join the squad.
“When I got the call, I could easily have said no but
I didn’t. I spoke to my parents who advised me to
honour the call.
“They told me that I would be tagged unpatriotic if I
refused to report to the camp so I heeded their
advice. Besides the passion to represent my
country had always fired me on in the past,” he
said.
Rufai eventually teamed up with the Nigeria squad
with just days to the first game against Spain and
was put through his paces by the coaches in several
intensive training sessions.
“A few hours after I got the call, I boarded a plane
and left Spain for Switzerland to join the rest of the
squad.
“When I eventually arrived (in Switzerland), less
than 24 hours after the call, I was so tired. I wanted
to rest but was told that the coaches had planned a
special training exercise to ascertain the state of
my fitness.
“The coach (Bora Milutinovic) and all members of
the backroom staff joined in the training session
with me. It was rigorous and afterwards Bora called
me aside and spoke to me.
“He shook my hand, looked into my eyes and said,
‘Peter, I am sorry for not inviting you all along. I
was told by Nigerians that you are finished. I was
told that you are no longer playing anymore. Even
in this your state, you are the best goalkeeper in
Nigeria’,” he said.
Rufai added that he had a premonition the team
would fail in France after the Super Eagles suffered
a 1-5 loss to the Netherlands at the Amsterdam
Arena in a friendly game on June 5.
“I conceded two goals in the first half of that game
and asked to be substituted at half time.
“I was shocked to have conceded two quick goals in
the first half and I wanted to observe from the
sidelines in the second half.
“I knew something was wrong immediately,” he
said.
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