Nigeria’s most capped footballer, Vincent Enyeama, on Saturday, apologised to Nigerians for the controversy surrounding his exit from the Super Eagles.
Super Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama | credits: liveofofo.com
The goalkeeper, on Thursday, following a clash with the coach of the national team, Sunday Oliseh, had announced on Instagram that “I am out of the team. I am no more available for international duties.”
Oliseh on Tuesday had stripped Enyeama of the captaincy of the Super Eagles and handed it to CSKA Moscow forward Ahmed Musa, forcing the Lille keeper to end his international career in controversial circumstances.
The goalkeeper, on the social networking site, alleged insults to his late mother as well as being thrown out of the national camp by hotel security in Verviers, Belgium.
But the coach, while debunking the claims on Friday, expressed sadness over Enyeama’s retirement from the national team, which he said had turned many fans against him, following the team’s 2-0 loss to Congo in a friendly on Thursday night.
Enyeama, on his Instagram account on Saturday, however, expressed sombreness, saying he was “humiliated,” which led him to quit the national team.
“Who would be happy after just burying your mother that carried you nine months in the womb and suffered for you day and night, jumping on a six-hour plane to represent your fatherland only to be stripped of the captainship and humiliated at the first meeting in front of everyone after serving the nation for 13 years?
“I have honoured about 99 per cent of the national team’s invitations, no matter where the match is played. Anyway, my decision to quit the national team is for the best interest of the nation. I don’t want to be the reason that Nigerian football house is divided.
“I want Nigeria to get back up to where it belongs. It’s a professional decision made for the blessing of the nation. I am very sorry for being the reason that all these things are happening. God bless Nigeria,” he said.
Meanwhile, there were indications on Saturday that the Nigerian Football Federation President, Amaju Pinnick, held talks with Enyeama in Brussels, Germany, in a bid to convince the veteran player into changing his mind about his sudden exit from the Super Eagles.
Vincent Enyeama ditched the Super Eagles in Belgium; calling time on his international career, but not without some controversy. He alleged the head coach Sunday Oliseh insulted his late mother, had security throw him out of the camp and stripped him. In an exclusive interview with www.footballlive.ng Sunday Oliseh debunked the claims insisting the 33-year-old defamed.
The full excerpt of the interview:
Super Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama | credits: liveofofo.com
I am deeply saddened, troubled and profoundly hurt by the assassination of my person as Vincent Enyeama has done over the past two days on social about me insulting his mother, these allegations are unheard of.
When I was appointed the chief coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, I drove to Lille to see Vincent, took him to lunch and discussed how we wanted to move forward with him as my captain. I shared my philosophy with him and he made a statement I didn’t like, he said he was going to retire in a year or two and I told him I wouldn’t hear of it as he was the captain of the team because we were thinking of taking the team to the 2017 AFCON and 2018 World Cup; but we can’t build a team with you as captain if you are retiring in 2017.
2 weeks ago before the camp started he told us about his mother’s burial but I couldn’t go and there was an arrangement with the President who assured me he’d be there on behalf of the NFF and team. But he started talking about retirement so at that moment I felt we needed someone else as captain; it had nothing to do with hurting anybody.
I don’t know Vincent personally, I’ve only been named coach and in fact we’ve seen only once. He’s served Nigeria very well and as Captain, I was also captain and I know how difficult that job is.
We started camp on Monday, to my greatest surprise Mikel Obi and Ighalo camp in on Sunday night. We had invited 4 goalkeepers and he told us he had to bury his mother. So, Obviously he couldn’t report to camp early until Tuesday, just about the time we were rounding up; he drove into training ground.
Prior to his coming in, we had the Nigeria ambassador to Belgium come in to talk with the team because our delegation had not been given visas to come in, 6 players were stuck in Nigeria over the hitch; 2 of them were goalies. And somebody had to act in the absence of the Captain which Musa had been doing well prior to the Tanzania and Niger games. And I remember, when the Ambassador wrapped up I told Musa; as the captain, to introduce the team as a way to appreciate the support.
But the boys did not train well that afternoon, the ball playing was good but our objectiveness on the ball was not up to my liking so later at dinner I called the team and told them I was not happy and demanded more from them. Only for Vincent to stand up insisting on saying somethings but I told him to see me about it later. He refused and as side talks persisted I called him to order, he started raising his voice, I told him we couldn’t have two coaches in the team and that he had to retire to his room. His colleagues got up and escorted him out of the hall. Two of his colleagues came in later to see me; the Captain Ahmed Musa and Mikel Obi, pleaded on his behalf and we left it there. Only for issues to start popping up on social media alleging we insulted him and his late mother.
Most people are not aware of this but I’ll tell you now that when we went to play in Tanzania I personally asked for the team to wear the black band in honor of his mother and for us to observe a minute’s silence , we asked and we went through the channel of Dayo Enebi, but they said we should have made the demand earlier, does this sound like a man who wants to humiliate his captain?
What happened after wards, was alarming. We had only two goalkeepers, 15 players and we were playing a friendly game so we had to call in players who did not need visas to come into Belgium as quick as possible to make up numbers. We now had to call in Alampasu because we had only 2 goalkeepers; we were already making a case with Alloy to get ready if anything happened. We called Efe Ambrose and Madu in, working like we were a fire brigade.
I did not even have time to reply social media chats because we had to work.
However on the match day, Vincent did not come to lunch, I was confused because I thought we’d put all of the previous night’s issues behind us. I called him and asked why he wasn’t in for lunch and he said he was returning to his club. He said because I invited Alampasu he was leaving. Alloy Agu is my witness, God is my witness.
Lille goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, has quit international football after a meeting with top official of the Nigeria Football Federation in Belgium Thursday.
Super Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama | credits: liveofofo.com
Enyeama’s decision did not come as a surprise after a major falling out with Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, on Tuesday night following the announcement of Ahmed Musa as new captain, africanFootball.com reports.
Earlier, on Thursday, the ex- Enyimba shot stopper, who has been Eagles’ skipper since Joseph Yobo quit international football last year, vowed “not to walk out on Nigeria.”
But he later said on Instagram: “I have fought a good fight for more than 13 years. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith and sang the anthem with passion.
“Henceforth, there is laid for me a crown which only GOD can reward me for my 13 years of national service.
Lille goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, has quit international football after a meeting with top official of the Nigeria Football Federation in Belgium Thursday.
Enyeama’s decision did not come as a surprise after a major falling out with Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, on Tuesday night following the announcement of Ahmed Musa as new captain, africanFootball.com reports.
Earlier, on Thursday, the ex- Enyimba shot stopper, who has been Eagles’ skipper since Joseph Yobo quit international football last year, vowed “not to walk out on Nigeria.”
But he later said on Instagram: “I have fought a good fight for more than 13 years. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith and sang the anthem with passion.
“Henceforth, there is laid for me a crown which only GOD can reward me for my 13 years of national service.
Super Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, is among the five players nominated for the BBC African Footballer of Year for 2014 as revealed by the organisers of the award on Monday.
Super Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama | credits: liveofofo.com
The Nigeria captain is the only goalkeeper in the list as title holder Yaya Toure of Ivory Coast gets his sixth consecutive nomination for the award.
Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who plays Borussia Dortmund, Algeria forward Yacine Brahimi of FC Porto, and Ivory Coast’s Gervinho of AS Roma make up the list.
Four of the nominees played at the World Cup in Brazil, where Enyeama and Brahimi played in the last 16 of the tournament with Nigeria and Algeria respectively.
Enyeama, 32, went into the event off the back of an outstanding campaign for French club Lille – he kept 21 clean sheets for them last season.
In Spain, forward Brahimi’s efforts for Granada led to him being named best African player in the country last term and earning a move to Porto.
Toure helped Manchester City to their second Premier League title in three years and also won the Capital One Cup, Gervinho has impressed in Italy since leaving Arsenal, scoring 10 goals in 39 games for the Serie A side.
Although striker Aubameyang did not play at the World Cup in Brazil, he makes the shortlist for the second year in a row based on his impressive club form.
BBC said the winner will be decided by fans of African football, who have until November 24 to vote for their choice online or through SMS.
