Former Super Eagles skipper, Nwankwo Kanu, has waded into the current rift between WestBromwich Albion Nigerian striker, Peter Osaze Odemwingie, and Coach Stephen Keshi. Papillo as he is fondly called, made a passionate appeal to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to intervene in the situation now which he said the “earlier it’s solved, the better.”
The lanky player who spoke with the media during the formal presentation of trophy to Chief Edwin Clark for the Clark Under-18 International Football Tournament in Abuja, equally appealed to the Albion forward to understand and acknowledge the fact that the head coach is totally in charge and that no one is bigger than the country.
“As I always say, the situation is something that they have to solve and sort out. The NFF has to be involved to make sure it is sorted out” he said. “Keshi is the boss as the coach, while Osaze is a player. The situation is between a player and a coach and whatever decision the coach takes becomes the final. However, no matter the situation, Osaze remains a good player that, of course, Nigeria would need any day any time. But, the situation is now a big problem and the earlier it’s solved, the better.
“Therefore, the NFF has to intervene to ensure that there is peace. Let me also correct the impression that winning the Nations Cup without some senior players does not mean that they are no longer needed in the team. What it means is that Nigeria is blessed, it also shows that we have the talent, the players and we can now do without anybody because nobody is bigger than the country. The meaning is that whoever you are and wherever you are, you have to appreciate that Nigeria is bigger than any individual. The players must understand the magnitude of pressure on them from more than 160 million Nigerians.
“No player should see himself as god and it applies also to every other Nigerian in every field of human endeavour. Every player must begin to appreciate the importance of the invitation to play for fatherland,” he noted.
