By Ben Efe, in New Delhi
Former Nigerian defender, Tariwo West has said that Coach Austin Eguavoen only has himself to blame for Eagles’ 1-0 loss to Guinea in Conakry.

The Guineans sent a lack-lustre Nigeria side crashing during their AFCON 2012 qualifying match at the 28 September Stadium in Conakry.

The lone goal scored early in the first_half ensured that the Guineans now have six points to lead Group B while the Nigerians remain with three points.

The loss capped a week of drama for the Nigerians who earlier last week were banned by FIFA over issues pertaining to government’s interference in the affairs of the Nigerian Football Federation.

Speaking against the backdrop of Eguavoen’s take on why the team fell to Guinea, Taribo, who does not shy away from threading thorny grounds, said that no excuses from the Eagles interim coach would be entertained by Nigerians.

“I do not know why former internationals who are now in charge of national teams would love to give excuses for failure. After playing the game at the highest level of the World Cup and once coaching the team, Eguavoen should be man enough to accept the blame for the loss.

“What I saw in the Eagles did not lift my spirit at all. There was no sense of direction for most period of the game and you expect the coach to instill that into the team. He is the manager and should be able to manage the team properly. Excuses would not work for him and his players.

“We were at the World Cup and what we saw did not lift our spirits and we expected that lessons would have been learnt from the sad experience but it is like nothing has been learnt by Eguavoen. We need players who are determined to make a name for themselves. not just any player who feels that playing in Europe is a ticket to playing for Nigeria. We would not entertain any excuses from anybody again”, ranted the former AC Milan defender.