Tweeting Odemwingie out of Argentina, Ethiopia ties
May 20, 2011 11:34am | print email |
Osaze Odemwingie's international future hangs in the balance after he was sensationally dropped from the Super Eagles' upcoming fixtures against Argentina and Ethiopia.
The in-form West Bromwich Albion forward had two months ago, left the Super Eagles' camp on the eve of the March 29 international friendly against Kenya's Harambee Stars in Abuja and returned to England without the consent of team handler Samson Siasia.
A couple of days later, the former Lokomotiv Moscow of Russia ace took a swipe at Siasia on his Twitter page. He said:
"Unlike me my finishing in training today was good. Hearing something that Siasia is angry I left. He needs to think a bit or he got issues."
Although, Odemwingie later deleted the post, it wasn't enough to stop Siasia from threatening to suspend the 29-year-old from the Super Eagles, which he has now done by excluding him from the team that will take on Argentina on June 1 in an international friendly in Abuja, as well as the June 5 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia in Addis Ababa.
"I have excluded Osaze from the squad against Argentina as a result of his insubordination and lack of respect for the technical crew of the team which I happen to be the head," said Siasia in a report on Mtnfootball.com.
"The other players in the team had threatened to stage a mass protest and back out in other matches if I failed to sanction Osaze for leaving the camp in Abuja without taking permission from me and travelling back to England to join his club, shortly after Ethiopia's Nations Cup qualifier and did not wait for the Kenya friendly.
"Some of them confessed to me that they are watching with keen interest to see if I will discipline him or not. So, I had no option than to do this to instil discipline in the team."
Siasia further disclosed: "I do not want a situation where I or Nigeria would be totally disgraced by the players and thereby expose the country to ridicule. Let discipline be maintained.
"Osaze is not bigger than the team or the whole Nigeria."
Ameobi on standby
With Odemwingie is ruled out of the games against Argentina and Ethiopia, Siasia has called upon the services of 26 players including Newcastle United's Shola Ameobi, who is however on standby alongside fellow England based striker Victor Moses.
Both Ameobi and Moses had in the past featured for England at youth level and have not yet received FIFA's clearance to feature for Nigeria at senior international level.
Regardless of whether Ameobi and Moses do get their clearance from FIFA before the games against Argentina and Ethiopia, Siasia can still count on the availability of other strikers such as the trio of Victor Anichebe, Peter Utaka and Ikechukwu Uche who all impressed in the team's recent fixtures.
Also available is Warri Wolves' Ekigho Ehiosun as well as Turkey-based Emmanuel Emenike, who has been recalled to the Super Eagles after missing out the games against Ethiopia and Kenya.
Emenike will also be hoping for better fortune than he had in his debut game against Sierra Leone where his involvement was limited to slightly over half-an-hour of football owing to injury.
Also handed a recall by Siasia are goalkeeper Austin Ejide, Yusuf Ayila and Yusuf Mohammed who will battle it out with Heartland's Chibuzor Okonkwo for the right full-back position. Mohammed hasn't featured for the Super Eagles since cupping a career-threatening knee injury back in January 2010.
Siasia however handed a shock call-up to Isaac Promise who plays for Turkish club side, Manisaspor. Promise, who captained the Nigerian team to a silver medal finish at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, is yet to feature for the Super Eagles in a competitive fixture but has appeared in a couple of friendly matches.
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