Lukman Haruna says Super Eagles fought ‘physically, spiritually’ at 2010 World Cup
Ex-player opens up on chaos inside the camp
Former Super Eagles midfielder Lukman Haruna has revealed that Nigeria’s 2010 World Cup squad was plagued by internal fights — both physical and spiritual — before and during the tournament in South Africa.
Haruna made the revelations on the Abu Azeez Podcast, saying the squad was in complete disarray, with players even fighting before they left camp in London.
“A lot happened — the team was not in good spirits,” he said. “At that time, we actually fought each other. Spiritually, we were attacking one another, and physically, we were fighting.”
Nigeria exited early after winless run
Nigeria, under coach Lars Lagerbäck, crashed out in the group stage after failing to win a single match, managing just one draw in three games.
Haruna, who played for AS Monaco at the time, was part of the squad that represented the country in South Africa.
Players were selfish, says Haruna
Reflecting on the team’s poor performance, Haruna blamed some players for being more focused on personal glory than teamwork.
“Some players were selfish; they didn’t want to pass the ball. They just wanted to take the glory alone,” he said.
Haruna didn’t mention names but made it clear the team’s lack of unity and toxic energy contributed heavily to their downfall on the world stage.
