Why I’m RoboCop – Afolabi

Retired Super Eagles hard-as-nails defender and a veteran of the 2002 and 2010 World Cup Rabiu Afolabi opens up on his playing days and his striking nickname, in this interview with ’TANA AIYEJINA

Not much has been heard from you back home since you retired from football. What are you doing now?

I am currently working as a youth development coach at the Royal Antwerp Football Club Academy in Belgium.

The Super Eagles missed the last World Cup in Qatar and started the qualifiers for the 2026 edition on a poor note, amassing just three points from their first four games. What do you think are the challenges before the current squad?

There were minimal changes in the team at the last Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, except for the absence of some crucial players, who got injured before the tournament started. The lack of William Troost-Ekong’s experience, leadership and stability in the defence in the last two World Cup qualifiers was quite evident. Furthermore, the attacking trio of Moses Simon, Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen was missing. Simon’s speed and threat, along with his partnership with Lookman and Osimhen was also notably missing while the team attacked. Another issue was the sudden changes in the coaching staff. I firmly believe that stability and a long-term vision are crucial in football. Coaches require more time and autonomy to establish and instill their style and philosophy on the team, not only at senior level, but also at the youth settings. A synchronised central pattern formation needs to be established.

Do you think the team still has a realistic chance of qualifying for the World Cup?

Everything is possible, and I am very optimistic. I remember that we narrowly achieved qualification for the 2002 World Cup until the last game against Sudan on their home ground. If my memory serves me right, we absolutely needed to win with a margin of four goals, and eventually, Austin Okocha and Yakubu Aiyegbeni scored, and the game ended with a 4-0 win for us. If we could do it then, I think this present set can as well, with the right mentality.

You represented Nigeria at the 2000 and 2010 World Cups. What memories of these competitions do you still have?

It’s always an honour and pride to represent your country. From a footballer’s perspective, you were chosen as one of the ambassadors of a country of over 200 million people, the feelings were massive, and the childhood dream was fulfilled.

At the 2002 World Cup, you didn’t play any of the games as the Eagles crashed out of the group stage. Were you disappointed not to have made an appearance?

It was a mixed feeling, being among the finest 23 chosen players, but as ambitious as I was, I wished I could have played the last group game against England because both England and Nigeria were already eliminated from the group; Argentina and Sweden topped the group.

You came on as substitute in the Eagles 2-1 defeat to Greece at the group stage of the 2010 edition. How did you feel losing your first World Cup game?

I came on to fill in for Taye Taiwo after he was injured; coming on as a defender in the middle of a tense game is not that simple, and eventually, we lost the game in the last gap. However, it’s part of the game, you win some you lose some.

You played all 90 minutes against Korea in the final Group B game but the Eagles only managed a 2-2 draw with the Asians and thus crashed out again from the group stage. How did the team take this particular result after the final whistle?

Everybody felt so disappointed after we couldn’t win the game against South Korea because we were advantageous. We had few scoring chances but we couldn’t manage to convert them into goals, and this led to our elimination, but all in all, it’s part of the game.

Stakeholders back home blamed the Eagles elimination on poor preparations by the authorities. Do you agree?

Our preparation wasn’t so long; it was short but qualitative, just like every other team’s. There was good atmosphere within the squad, but I think that there wasn’t enough time for cohesion before the kick-off of the tournament in South Africa.

You were captain of the Flying Eagles at the 1999 U-20 World Cup. Nigeria were favourites on home soil but lost 3-1 in the quarter-finals to Mali. The fans at the Enugu stadium were unhappy. Can you still recall the events that played out after that  game?

 It’s 26 years ago now and I can’t really recollect many incidents that happened in Enugu on that particular day, but generally, playing on home soil and as the host country carries more pressure and the highest exigency from the citizens. We Nigerians are so patriotic when it comes to football, and I’m very proud of that.

Why were you nicknamed RoboCop?

I got the nickname based on my style of play: rigid and tough on the opponents. So, my youth peers came up with this funny idea, which I couldn’t do anything about but to embrace it.

Can you tell us the toughest opponent you played against?

I played against many tough opponents, including the powerful Didier Drogba, but one particular player that everybody seems to forget is Haruna Dindane. He was Ivory Coast’s top striker before the emergence of Didier Drogba. I played many times against him in the Belgian league when he was playing for Anderlecht and of course in the French league when he played for RC Lens, he was a tough one to deal with.

Looking back now, what would you say were your best and worst moments as a footballer?

Generally, I tried to leverage every moment during my playing days, but it felt good to win the French Cup in the year 2007 with FC Sochaux and a few years later became the Austrian champion with Red Bull Salzburg. My tough moment was the season 2000/01 when I arrived at Napoli. I couldn’t have a quick and smooth transition to the new team because I came on loan with the option to buy out, but in all, I had a good time there.

You played in Belgium, France, Italy and Denmark. Where did you enjoy your best football?

I enjoyed playing in all the countries you listed but I always single out Austria, it’s such a clean, peaceful, and well-organised country. It wasn’t all that bell and roses, but with determination, focus, and steadfastness, I was able to weather through the obstacles.

Several African footballers have complained of racism in Europe. Were you a victim too?

Racism is a man-made problem that can’t be globally eradicated, but a strong sense of mental strength and absolute focus helped me to survive the odds.