Ameobi seeks Eagles return


Shola Ameobi
 After several months of ignoring Nigeria, Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi, has again pledged his international future to the Super Eagles. In a surprise move from one of the longest serving Magpie players, he informed the managers of the national team that the clause in his contract that prevented him from being at the Africa Nations Cup had now been removed.

A report from the Eagles camp in Kaduna says that Team Secretary, Dayo Achor, briefed Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi on the player’s correspondence with the Nigeria Football Federation.
The secretary told Keshi, “He said the clause has been removed and he will be ready to play for the Super Eagles anytime he is called upon.”


Keshi immediately said that he would talk with the player directly to confirm the development while adding that he would invite him anytime he was needed in the national team.
Keshi said, “He is no doubt a good player and the national team can make do with his experience anytime we call upon him.”

Ameobi’s renewed interest in the national team comes as a surprise as he kept Keshi guessing immediately after getting his first cap for Nigeria in an international friendly against Venezuela played in the United States of America last year. Despite the praises Keshi showered on him following the brief appearance, he kept the country in the dark concerning his commitment as he stopped picking calls from the coach.

This week Keshi had said he had given up on getting the Newcastle striker back to the team while he announced the determination to get Victor Anichebe to return to the team. In his case the Everton striker made it public that he was no longer willing to play for the country.

 Also in Kaduna on Thursday, Keshi said he was touched by the support the team was receiving from residents of the city since the team arrived there on Wednesday.
“I am so happy at the support and prayers of residents of the city and I will encourage my employers the NFF to bring some more games down here. They are simply wonderful,” he said.

The home-based Eagles are billed to face the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire on Saturday at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in the first leg of the qualifying match for Africa Nations Championship. The Ivorians joined them in Kaduna on Thursday for the match that will kick off at 4pm.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BRT Degenerates Into Molue Five years after

Image
THE pomp and ecstasy that heralded the arrival of the popular Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System five years ago in Lagos is fast dying away as most buses on the system have basically become molue- Nigeria’s slang for rickety and sullied big buses.  The BRT is an intra-city public transport initiative instituted by the then Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State in 2007, but actuallised by Governor Babatunde Fashola-led administration in 2008 to alleviate challenges of Lagos heavy traffic jams, bus scarcity among others.
Read more

Nigerians to pay £3,000 to enter Britain

Image
LONDON (AFP) – Britain is planning to force visitors from India, Pakistan, Nigeria and other countries whose nationals are deemed to pose a “high risk” of immigration abuse to provide a cash bond before they can enter the country, a report said Sunday. The Sunday Times newspaper said that from November, a pilot scheme would target visitors from those three countries plus Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Ghana. Visitors aged 18 and over would be forced to hand over £3,000 ($4,600, 3,500 euros) from November for a six-month visit visa.
Read more

#ASUUStrikeENDSOON: FG agrees to spend N200b on Nigerian universities every year for 4 years (READ)

Image
In an effort to end the ongoing ASUU strike, the Federal Government has said it is committed to  spending N200 billion in the 2014 budget on universities in Nigeria for about three to four years until the universities are brought to world-class standard. This is in addition to the N100 billion dedicated and already made available for 2013. The government has also increased to N40 billion as a first installment for the funds in payment of earned allowances to the striking lecturers, which is an improvement from the N30 billion previously released. According to sources, the information is s contained in an internal statement made by the  Vice-Chancellor,  Professor Bolaji Aluko of Federal University of Otuoke and was seen on Wednesday by Sahara reporters.
Read more