NFF officials seek to end Eagles row by asking Enyeama to return to Belgian camp

NIGERIAN Football Federation (NFF) officials have talked former national team captain Vincent Enyeama into returning to the squad's camp in Belgium with a view to resolving the spat between him and coach Sunday Oliseh.

 

On Wednesday, Enyeama, Nigeria's most capped player with 101 appearances, stormed out of the camp and decided to call it quits on his international career. Enyeama left after being dropped by Oliseh in favour of Wolverhampton Wanderers' Carl Ikeme and being stripped of the captaincy which was handed to CSKA Moscow's Ahmed Musa.

 

Following the altercation between Oliseh and Enyeama, a nasty war of words ensued between the two, which is believed to have disrupted the camp. With Nigeria then going on to lose 0-2 to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, NFF officials believe the tow was responsible for the poor performance and are seeking to resolve the matter.

 

NFF president Amaju Pinnick and his two vice-presidents Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko, are all in Belgium and have asked Enyeama to return to camp so the matter can be sorted out. It is not yet clear if Enyeama will accept the offer as he made it clear he is not willing to serve as the second choice goalkeeper.

 

Several former players and commentators have criticised the spat, with several blaming Oliseh for the way he handled the matter. Former captain and head coach Christian Chukwu, faulted Oliseh on his poor handling of the situation that led to the humiliation and sudden resignation of Enyeama.

 

Chukwu said: "For whatever it was, Enyeama as a captain deserved respect. Oliseh should have managed things in a matured manner.

 

"If Oliseh knew you don’t want him in his team, he should not have invited him in the first place. Removing him as a captain is not the issue but he deserves respect and should not have been humiliated to the extent of calling security men to walk him out of camp."

 

He added that he was worried that the poor handling does not lead to a backlash as Enyeama played 101 times for Nigeria and has a lot of players who are loyal to him.  According to Chukwu, Oliseh should show more maturity and know that he is now a father to the team.

 

Nigeria faces Cameroon's Indomitable Lions tomorrow in Brussels and NFF officials are hoping that Enyeama will be present for the game. If Enyeama does show up, it is uncertain if he will be picked to man goal or if Oliseh will hand him the skipper's armband.