Osaze Odemwingie no longer wants to play for Nigeria?

Head coach of the Nigeria
national team, Stephen
Keshi has sensationally
revealed to
supersport.com that West
Bromwich Albion star,
Osaze Odemwingie wants
out of the Super Eagles.
Odemwingie last played
for Nigeria in a 2013 Africa
Cup of Nations qualifier
against Rwanda on
February 29 in Kigali.
Keshi has now revealed
that he spoke to the WBA
forward a week before
Nigeria’s second leg final
round 2013 Afcon
qualifying game against
Liberia on October 13 and
that Odemwingie told him
that he had decided not to
play for Nigeria again.
“I spoke to Osaze before the
Liberia game and he told me
that he had decided not to play
for Nigeria anymore,” Keshi told
supersport.com.
The former Togo and Mali
national team coach said
Odemwingie took the time to
explain the reasons for his
decision not to play for the
Super Eagles again.
“Osaze told me that he has no
problems with me as a person
and that he took his decision
even before I assumed position
as national team coach.
“He said he was unhappy at
how he was treated in the past
in the national team. He
explained that prior to Nigeria’s
participation at the 2010 Fifa
World Cup, he played in all the
qualifying games but was
dropped at the finals.
“He said he was angry at the
treatment meted out to him but
did not discuss it with anyone. I
told him that was not the best
way to handle issues and that if
he had already decided not to
play for the national team, he
should have opened up to me
when I invited him to play,”
Keshi said.
‘The Big Boss’ went on to reveal
that he had an extensive
discussion with the striker and
tried to explain why things may
have gone awry for him at the
2010 mundial.
“I told him that if the (Nigeria)
coach (at the 2010 World Cup)
benched him, he must have a
reason for doing so and that
things should have been
handled differently.
“I told him that he should have
spoken up and let me know.
The coach has a reason and you
can’t play in every game,” he
said.
. On Odemwingie’s future at the
international stage, Keshi said
he was still ready to
accommodate the player in his
squad while explaining that the
final decision would still lie with
the 31-year-old.
“I told him that he has to give
me the room to work with him;
for us to work together and if he
does not like the way I work and
the atmosphere in the camp,
then he can decide to stop
playing.
“Deciding that you don’t want to
play for Nigeria because of what
happened in the past is not the
best.
“I understand his feelings. I
think he might change his mind
but I really don’t know. The ball
is in his court,” Keshi concluded.
Source: Supersports