Why Sunday Oliseh played AFCON 2000 with painkillers - Okocha

 • Austin Okocha revealed Sunday Oliseh took painkillers before the finals of the 2000 African Cup of Nations finals

 • Nigeria has defeated South Africa in the semis and Senegal in the quarter finals

 • Nigeria lost the finals to Cameroon in front of the home fans in Lagos

Former captain of the Super Eagles, Austin Okocha has said he gave Sunday Oliseh painkillers to play at the 2000 African Cup of Nations final against Cameroon in Lagos.

This comes after the midfielder was almost forced to pull out of the clash following an aggravation of a hamstring injury during the 2-0 win over South Africa in the semi-finals.

His influence in the tournament couldn't be understated as he came off the bench in the quarter-finals to help Nigeria beat Senegal 2-1 after going a goal down. He bagged an assist in the tie.

Recounting the final defeat to Cameroon on penalties, after full and extra time ended 2-2, Okocha told The PUNCH, “We were having a good tournament heading into the final but Sunday (Oliseh) was not fully fit to play.

“We needed him in the team for the final and also as the captain of the team, so I offered him painkillers to play.

“I gave him the painkillers because playing with him gave me and the forwards in the team more confidence to attack. It’s unfortunate that we lost the final the way we did in front of our home fans.”

The midfielder (Oliseh) also revealed he was far from fully fit for the final.

“Those are some of the sacrifices we made for our country. I wasn’t fully fit to play but I got assurance that some painkillers will relieve me for the duration of the final. It’s just sad that we lost the game.”