Atlanta ’96: We argued at half-time, Dosu recalls clash with teammate

Former Nigeria goalkeeper, Dosu Joseph has for the first time spoken about the half-time altercation that ensued between him and another teammate during the U-23 national team's 4-3 win over Brazil at the 1996 Olympics Atlanta.

The goalie who refused to disclose the name of the teammate said he asked the unnamed player why he allowed "the guy 'Conceicao' to run over you like that for the third goal?".

By that time, the Nigerians were trailing the Brazilians by 3-1 after Conceicao fired the South Americans ahead with a long-range free kick in the first minute.

Despite equalising through Roberto Carlos' own goal in the 20th minute, Bebeto’s goal and another Conceicao strike ensured that Nigeria went into the break with a two-goal deficit.

Speaking to The Punch, Dosu disclosed what happened between him and the defender.

He said, “After the first half, we were walking towards the tunnel, the whole players were angry; I was very angry too.

“Then I asked the defender, ‘Why did you allow the guy (Conceicao) to run over you like that for the third goal?’ But he responded angrily, saying, ‘go and find somewhere to sit please. Why didn’t you also stop the ball from going into the net?’”

The Olympic gold medalist added, “We argued over it and later we were able to settle the issue. It was as if the tie was over and we were thinking of what would be happening in Nigeria. We felt Nigerians would have put off their televisions, went to bed, and woke up to see that we had been heavily beaten.

“The coaches spoke to us and we put everything behind us and went into the second half and thank God we won the game 4-3.”