Amodu Shaibu, dismissed as Nigeria's coach after the African Nations Cup in Mali, has accused his critics of ignorance and of lacking good reasons to justify his "unfair dismissal".

In an exclusive interview with BBC Sport Online, Amodu says that his critics would have lacked the courage to label him as tactically inept if he had won the trophy.

"If I had won the cup, no one would have been saying all these negative things about me.

"Many people criticising me are no better than myself and have no experience in coaching" Shaibu said.

"I did not expect to be judged on the Nations Cup. But Nigeria is not an easy place to work in", he said.

The ex-Super Eagles manager was criticised by the Nigerian media for selecting certain players.

Described as "tired legs", some European based members of the Super Eagles squad were criticised as lacking the will to win for Nigeria at the Nations Cup.

But Amodu is quick to counter that criticism.