WATCH: Nigeria legend Finidi George 'begs' for Pepe's jersey after Portugal thumping
- George wanted the shirt ahead of Simon
- Pepe ignored George and gave it to Simon instead
- George has been labelled an embarrassment
WHAT HAPPENED? After the game at Jose Alvalade Stadium where the Selecao scored courtesy of Bruno Fernandes, who grabbed a double, Goncalo Ramos and Joao Mario, the 51-year-old Nigeria legend, who is part of the Super Eagles' technical bench, was seen talking to Pepe asking for his jersey.
The 39-year-old Pepe had already started to remove his jersey and give it to Nigeria forward Moses Simon instead, but George could not hear anything as he continued to plead with Pepe to give it to him.
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— 🐬 @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) November 18, 2022
Finidi George (coach) vs Moses Simon (player)
Bone of contention: Who gets Pepe's jersey.
Match Score: Portugal 4 - Nigeria 0 pic.twitter.com/4tpPpcbx77
However, he was left dumbfounded as Pepe ignored his pleas and handed the jersey to Simon.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The incident has left several Nigeria fans castigating FInidi, with some describing his actions as petty and unacceptable.
"The way Finidi George was pleading for Pepe’s jersey was just petty and unacceptable... reason I don't rate Nigeria 🇳🇬 coaches…," said @Pedro_Marley1 while TheNigerianCook said: "Finidi George is an embarrassment. Did you even play the match? Why begging Pepe to give you his shirt? Nigerians will embarrass you anywhere they go."
WHAT NEXT FOR FINIDI AND NIGERIA? The Super Eagles will take a break until next March when they return to action in the Africa Cup of Nations qualfying matches. They are scheduled to take on Guinea-Bissau at Abuja National Stadium on March 20.