Nigeria midfielder Nosa Igiebor says he’s not bitter about missing the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but his exclusion was beyond football reasons.
The Real Betis midfielder was part of the 2013 African cup of Nations winning squad but missed the FIFA Confederations cup squad and the FIFA World Cup in Brazil a year later.
Igiebor who narrated his experience in the Super Eagles at the pre-world cup camp to www.Cornerstonenewsng.comsaid
“I was disappointed that I missed out of the world cup, but I’m still not the coach, it was a big shock to the players in the camp when I wasn’t called,” he told www.brila.net.
“Even Keshi couldn’t look at my face after he called the list, he just couldn’t look at me, Even Azeez’s (Ramon) agent met me in London and asked me if his player has the chance of going to the World cup, due to the presence of Mikel, Onazi and me, but I told him I’m just a player and not the coach.
“In the end, Azzez went to the world cup and I was dropped, even Jay-Jay Okocha was upset that I wasn’t picked for the world cup,” he said.
The former Warri Wolves went further and revealed that the politics and corruption in Nigeria Football might have cost him a place in the team.
“Since I’ve been playing in the national team, I’ve never paid one naira to anybody, I believe so much in my talents, and Nigerians know that as well, so why should I pay money to anyone to go to the World cup ?, but it got to a point they will start asking who’s your godfather, who is standing for you?, they will even say you don’t have a godfather and you want to play for Super Eagles,” he told www.brila.net.
Igiebor concluded that the head coach of the team at the time, late Stephen Keshi confided in him that some senior officials of the Nigeria Football Federation wanted him out of the team.
“At a point one in time, they frustrated Keshi because of me, He (Keshi) called me aside and told me, I’m still in the national team because of him, he said some people wanted me out of the team, he was pointing to the men who wanted me out, but Keshi advised me to face my football and forget about those men.” He told www.brila.net.
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