Super Eagles full back, Efe Ambrose, like most of his team mates and indeed, Nigerians in general is in pains that the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations tournament is going on without Nigeria.

The 2013 Afcon winner was full of regret when he said, “I understand the effects of not qualifying for the competition and I feel bad about it.

FILE PHOTO: HUMBLED: Super Eagles players listen to their coach.

“I am sure the other players feel the same way too. We would have given anything to qualify and be a part of it. And the truth is, it is more painful because we are the champions and we will not be there, it is really painful.”

After the Eagles failure to secure the Afcon ticket, Nigerians were unequivocal in their condemnation of the players’ performances, accusing them of lacking commitment.

Ambrose defended his team mates, “it will be unfair to say we never gave our best. We always want to play for Nigeria and we always give our best but sometimes you just can’t explain certain things.

“It happens in life, especially in football. Sometimes you play very well and still lose and sometimes you play poorly and win. Maybe we were unlucky, I don’t know. But we gave our best but it just didn’t work out and now we have to look at the future.”

Looking ahead, the Celtic defender sounded optimistic, “you just have to be positive in life and always hope for the best. When we failed to qualify in 2012, people thought that was the end but we went on to win it in 2013. Maybe this is a lesson for us and who says we can’t go on to win it in 2017. We just have to keep doing our best and hopefully we will get things right.”