Former Nigeria defender Sam Sodje during an exclusive interview with Footy-Africa praised Cape Verde’s historic performance against Spain at the FIFA World Cup, saying the debutants’ disciplined display was a source of pride for African football.
Cape Verde, appearing at their first World Cup finals, stunned the football world by holding former champions Spain to a goalless draw in a result that has been celebrated across the African continent.
While many observers were surprised by the outcome, Sodje believes those who have followed Cape Verde’s rise closely would have seen signs that such a performance was possible as they pipped Cameroon to top their qualifying Group.
“I think people didn’t expect them to play that well, but from what we saw in the game they played against Nigeria and the way they qualified, it wasn’t a surprise to Africans,” Sodje told Footy-Africa.
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“They did really well. They stood their ground and, from my experience, I am very proud because we’ve always had this stigma about African players not being disciplined defensively. I think they showed discipline defending, so they made Africa proud.”
The former Brentford defender admitted that the result had caught many by surprise but said it highlighted the growing strength of African football on the global stage.
“You can’t blame people for being surprised because you would never expect African teams to play the way they’re playing,” he added. “It is a surprising performance from every African team, even Morocco. But it has shown how much we’ve grown as a continent.”
According to Sodje, one of the biggest factors behind the recent improvement of African teams is the increased depth available to coaches.
“The main thing making the difference now is the depth of the African teams,” he explained. “We now have players coming off the bench who are just as good. That’s been a problem for us before, but now it looks fantastic having a squad.”
“When you go into a World Cup, eleven players don’t finish the tournament. You need a squad. I think African teams now have that depth and that’s the difference we’re seeing.”
Despite Cape Verde’s impressive start, Sodje cautioned against expecting them to repeat the same performance in every match, stressing that tournament football requires adaptability.
“Every game comes with a different approach,” he said. “I don’t think they will approach other games the way they approached Spain. It will be different tactics and a different game.
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“It all depends on who they’re playing against. We can’t expect them to win every game, but if they perform at the highest level, they have the players to get results. Let’s not expect them to win every other game, but let’s see how they come out and play and what mentality they bring.”
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Sodje also reacted to Tunisia’s decision to dismiss head coach Sabri Lamouchi following the North Africans’ heavy 5-1 defeat to Sweden and replace him with Frenchman Hervé Renard in the middle of the competition.
The former defender admitted he was not a supporter of such drastic changes during a major tournament but suggested there may be circumstances unknown to the public.
“I’m not a fan of it,” Sodje said.
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“At the same time, we’re not behind closed doors, so we don’t know what happened. For them to suddenly lose faith in him after one game, something must have happened behind the scenes. We’re not sure what it was, but we wish them luck. Hopefully this brings a different ambition and motivation for them to do well in the World Cup. But overall, I’m not a fan of that decision,” he concluded.
