In a classic shoot first and ask questions later, the West Bromwich Albion striker, Osaze Odemwingie, has attributed his recent outburst against the Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi, to anger arising from a feeling of betrayal by the coach.
Odemwingie had, at the wake of the release of the team list for AFCON 2013, taken to twitter to make some disparaging comments against the Super Eagles gaffer and the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.
The out of favour Super Eagles striker also called the chairman of the NFF Technical Committee, Chris Green, ‘names’ over his exclusion from the AFCON squad.
The England based forward has now said he made statements, which were made in a fit of anger, after he had made it known to his coach and colleagues that he was set to travel for the January 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa.
In an interview with selected Nigerian journalists, the West Bromwich Albion striker admitted making some of the comments credited to him, but was also quick to make some clarifications on calling Green ‘names,’ saying he was only bitter about his exclusion.
He described Green as a good man and one of the few on the NFF board, alongside the President, Aminu Maigari, whomhe knows personally and would not want to offend; though his anger has portrayed him to be at ‘war with everybody’.
”I remember it was Green that settled my case with Siasia then ,but I was too angry when he called me over this matter, and was impatient to listen to him, and my comment was not directed to him personally but to those who made the decision. But I think I over reacted then,” Osaze said.
On his face-off with Keshi, the former Locomotive Moscow forward revealed that “I called the coach two or three times within that period ,maybe two or three days before the list was made public and told him of my commitment to be part of the Nations Cup, and have toldmy coach I will be going to the Nations Cup.”
According to him, “I told the coach I was ready to report to camp by January 3rd, even before other professionals start reporting to camp, if I was in his programme for the Nations Cup; and even told himto feel free to drop me if I was not in his programme.
“I felt betrayed after that seeming heart-to-heart discussions with the coach few days to the release of the team list and he could not hint me I was not in his plan for the Nations Cup. For me it was not professional and I considered it a betrayal and lost my cool given all the arrangements I had made towards the Nations Cup,” he said.
Odemwingie also revealed that he felt pained and miffed by “some comments on why I was dropped ranging from being arrogant to asking for the captain’s band; and I concluded the federation wanted to freeze me out of the national team after ten years of serving the country with commitment and dedication”
“I don’t mind being asked to give the younger ones a chance ,even though I still have five years to offer at the international level, but I only think it would be proper to be honourably pulled out of the national team and not ‘disgraced’ out of the team after years of dedicated service to Nigeria,” he said.
The West Brom star argued that though his international career is over in the light of these controversies, which he noted “were unfortunate and regrettable,” he believes “there is need to correct somewrong impressions out there that I am always fighting with every coach,”
“But what people don’t know isthat my issues with all the coaches from Samson Siasia toLars Lagerback and now Keshi had to do with purely football matters, not administrative or asking for more money for players.
“My case with coach Siasia dates back to the 2008 Olympics, and had to do with insufficient jerseys and all that; with Lagerback it had to do with how I was treated and Ivoiced it to him personally at the World Cup, and now being treated unfairly.
“Imagine talking with someone two to three times over an issue and few days later you begin to hear a different story from the person, who was in a person to tell you point blank, ‘you are not in my plan for this,” he said.
The versatile forward concluded by saying “I am human and open to error by the way I may have taken the issue, and regret the whole controversy, and want to put all this behind me now and focus on my club career, while wishing the team the best of luck as a Nigerian.”
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