Emmanuel Okala, the former Green Eagles goalkeeper, suggests that those pointing fingers at Francis Uzoho for the Super Eagles' 2-2 draw against Saudi Arabia last Friday should reconsider their stance.

While many Nigerians pointed fingers at Uzoho's error as the reason behind Nigeria's failure to win the international friendly match, Okala, who led the Green Eagles to victory in the 1980 African Cup of Nations in Lagos, cautioned against placing the entire blame on Uzoho.

"As a former goalkeeper, I have taken the time to assess Francis Uzoho, and I can confidently say he is a talented goalkeeper. What I observed last Friday was that the goalkeeper's trainer within the Super Eagles appears to be falling short in his responsibilities. In my opinion, the trainer should shoulder the responsibility, not Uzoho," Okala expressed in an interview with The Guardian.

He continued, "As a goalkeeper trainer, it is your duty to instruct your keepers on how to handle set pieces, including free kicks, their positioning, and organizing the defensive line. Sometimes, the deficiencies we witness during matches are the result of unaddressed issues during training. I am not even aware of the current goalkeeper trainer for the Super Eagles. Therefore, all the blame should not be placed on Uzoho for the 2-2 draw against Saudi Arabia."

Following the match in Portugal, where Uzoho admitted to his mistake leading to the Saudi's advantage in the friendly, he acknowledged that he had performed well overall. He stated, "Overall, it was a commendable game for us, even though the outcome did not reflect our performance. We all make mistakes, but we also learn from them. My position as a goalkeeper is a high-pressure role, and it comes with the possibility of making errors. You can make ten saves, control your area effectively, but one mistake, and people tend to forget all the good you've done. We strive to do our best, and I encourage the fans to support whoever is in goal and show more backing," he concluded.