Super Eagles star, Sunday Mba
By Olawale Ajimotokan
Coach Stephen Keshi has threatened to stop selecting Africa Cup of
Nations hero Sunday Mba for the national team duty unless the striker
starts playing again in the local league.
Enugu Rangers and Warri Wolves are bitterly embroiled in claims over
the rightful owner of the contract of the striker who was the match
winner in the Africa Cup Nations final against Burkina Faso.
The Mba saga was one of the touch points at Tuesday’s parley between
Keshi and the media when the Super Eagles camp opened ahead of the
Brazil 2014 qualifying match against Kenya in Calabar on March 23.
Keshi, who on February 10 guided Nigeria to a third Africa Cup of
Nations triumph in South Africa, said that he was worried that Mba was
not playing in the local league because of the lack of compromise
between Wolves and Rangers.
He warned he might consider dropping Mba from the team if there was no
compromise, as his lack of playing time was of no benefit to the player
or country.
“I am very worried because he (Mba) is not playing in the league right
now due to his contract which is disputed by two clubs. At this point we
have to consider Mba’s career because it he is important for the
country. While the authority has stepped into the matter, I might decide
to drop him if he is not playing given that this situation is not good
for us,” Keshi warned.
The Nigerian premier league matches only resumed last week, well behind
schedule, following the crisis that was escalated by the sack of the
board of the league and the institution of an interim body late last
year.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is expected to make a
pronouncement on the Mba issue this week after studying the
recommendation of a special panel it instituted to broach a settlement
between Wolves and Rangers.
After studying the documents submitted by both clubs, the panel is
understood to have resolved last week that Mba remains a player on the
books of Wolves until the end of the 2013 season.
The panel, however, strongly felt that the wish of Mba to play for
Rangers and not Wolves be respected and even said it was willing to
grant the player a provisional clearance to play for the Flying
Antelopes in the league and the continent if the both clubs failed to
reach an amicable settlement.
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