Posted by Sun News Online on
Out-of-favour left back, Celestine Babayaro, may have to ‘appease' the Chief Coach of Super Eagles, Austine Eguavoen, if he still wants to return to the national team.
Out-of-favour left back, Celestine Babayaro, may have to ‘appease' the Chief Coach of Super Eagles, Austine Eguavoen, if he still wants to return to the national team.
This is because the Edo-born coach may have ruled out recalling the Atlanta gold-winning former Eaglets' player following his inability to reconcile his differences with the Nigeria Football Association (NFA).
Eguavoen, told Sunday Sunsport in Lagos that although Babayaro's case is not closed, his invitation to the Super Eagles now solely hangs in the balance, as the football house and not him alone would have to determine that.
'Unless Celestine (Babayaro) tells me that he wants to play for the Super Eagles, I will not invite him.
'If he does not make the move to tell me that he is still interested in playing for the country, I will not look his way. This is because he was not dropped by Nigeria.
'Coach Christian Chukwu invited him a couple of times and he never showed up. I also invited him when I took over the mantle to coach the Super Eagles, but he never showed up. Ifeanyi Udeze equally did the same.
'Babayaro has to phone me to tell me of his desire to play for the country he abandoned. He cannot tell journalists that he was interested in coming back to the national team. He has to tell me. He has to phone me or the FA to show that he wants to play again for Nigeria. He has to deal with me or the FA and not with journalists.
'I am in change of the national team, and for now, any player who intends to play for the country must come through me.
'We are equally giving other players chance to prove themselves. I have sent text messages to many of the Super Eagles' players intimating them about our next line of action.
'For now, what we have done is to invite players for the friendly games we will be having as from February 7, and from there, we will pick the players who will prosecute the next Nations and World Cup qualifying matches in March.
'We've been doing well. We have not conceded much goals, and I don't agree with some sections of the media, who are saying that the left flank of my team is leaking. First of all, we have to play friendly games and when that is done, it would give us the leverage to pursue our next programme for the Eagles.
'I laugh when people say that Super Eagles' ranking by FIFA is fictitious. Those who are saying that are enemies of progress. FIFA have rated the Super Eagles and who are those people to say that the rating is faulty?
'No Englishman will say that the English team are bad, or their rating is incorrect. Even when they lose a match, Englishmen still say something good about their team. It is only in Africa that we castigate our teams, even if they are doing very well.
'The world has rated Nigeria and some people are saying that Super Eagles do not deserve their position. Those who are against Super Eagles' success are not supposed to be Nigerians.
'We have lined up plans to consolidate on the Eagles' rating. We have the intention of raising a home-based team. The players in the team now are between the ages of 18 and 27 years. The idea of raising a home-based team is to compliment the efforts of our foreign-based players.
'But I have to discuss the programme with the FA. They have to accept and support the plan as well. Meanwhile, I don't see why they will not support such a laudable idea.
'I have been visiting Premier League venues to scout for home-based players, but I cannot do the job alone. I cannot cover the country all alone. This job is not for one man, so other coaches like Siasia, Amokachi and others are involved in the scheme. The idea is to have a healthy national team, which Nigerians can be proud of," Eguavoen said.