Former Everton and Super Eagles striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni has said that he would never apologize for the open goal he missed during the 2010 FIFA World Cup Group B match against South Korea.
Despite scoring a penalty, the striker missed a golden opportunity to put Nigeria ahead at the must-win group tie at Durban Stadium on June 22, 2010.
Eleven years after, the miss still angers Nigerians.
But the striker said he won’t apologize for it.
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Aiyegbeni in an interview with Nation TV said: ‘I won’t apologize at all. Why should I? I have scored so many goals for Nigeria too. I have sacrificed a lot for the country. Did anyone apologize to me?
‘I cannot apologize because it was not a deliberate miss. I seriously wanted to score.
‘But it wasn’t to be. So many strikers have missed chances too, and nobody will apologise. So I won’t.’
‘Even Obafemi Martins missed some chances at that World Cup but nobody talks about it.
‘I have always done my best to help the country but Nigerians forget about the sacrifices I have made on their behalf.
‘I played in all the games during 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup Qualifiers and scored two goals in the all-important 4-0 win at Sudan but I was still dropped by Adegboye Onigbinde before the tournament – Did anybody say I deserved to be there? I deserved to be at that World Cup.’
‘I do not need to say sorry for that miss because nobody has come to tell me “sorry, Yak, we did not take you to the World Cup’. It’s the same, Yakubu said.
The retired footballer also said that he has no interest in coaching the national team or any team in particular.
However, he said that he is open to helping the football federation in other ways if called upon.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK