Posted by AP on
Middlesbrough striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu will not play for Nigeria at next month's African Cup of Nations in Egypt.
MIDDLESBROUGH, England (AP) - Middlesbrough striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu will not play for Nigeria at next month's African Cup of Nations in Egypt.
The 23-year-old forward said he does not have a good relationship with national team coach Augustine Eguavoen.
"We are not on good terms, so I think it is best that I don't go,'' Yakubu said Tuesday. "He is not happy with me and I am not happy with him. It was a big decision for me but I have made the right one. I have called the Nigerian Football Federation and told them that I am not going to go.''
Yakubu, who joined Middlesbrough from Portsmouth, is the team's top scorer with 11 goals this season.