Two ex-national team players, Godwin Eke and Sam Okpodu have bared their minds on the recent crisis of confidence between Super Eagles coach,Stephen Keshi and his captain,Joseph Yobo.
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Yobo who currently plays his club football for Fenerbahce of Turkey in an interview he granted a local radio station (BrilaFM) last week carpeted Keshi for dropping him from the team's last 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying game against the Harambee Stars of Kenya without prior information, claiming that as the team's captain, he deserves some measure of respect from the former Mali national team gaffer.
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Opinions have been divided as to who was right or wrong between the coach and his captain in the whole saga but both Eke and Okpodu have called for an urgent truce so that the team's drive to make it to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil would be not be hampered.
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First to speak to Complete Sports was Eke who was Keshi's teammate in the then Green Eagles:
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"I think Keshi should give Yobo another chance to lead the team since he himself was in that shoe before," he began.
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"Both of them ought to have a good rapport by virtue of their positions in the team so that our Eagles can continue to fly higher and higher. I have not met Yobo before but I think Keshi should reach out to him and settle whatever differences they might have otherwise, the team will be divided and that is not what we want at this stage in the qualifying series," Eke counselled.
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In his own reaction, Okpodu,a former Super Falcons coach said though Keshi erred by not informing his captain on his decision not to include him (Yobo) in that particular game, that should not be an excuse for any player no matter how good he is or how long he has been playing for the national team to impose himself on the coach.
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'I agree with those who say Keshi should have given his captain the respect he deserves.If he is not going to be called up for a particular match,I think the coach should have told him.That is the least he deserves as the captain.But in terms of who the coach wants to invite,I don't think there should be a dispute about that.It is the coach who has the final say about his team,who he invites and who he doesn't invite'',said Okpodu who once starred for Bendel Insurance of Benin.
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"However, the bad thing here is that, we as Nigerians are taking the matter too far and the earlier we lay it to rest the better for the image of our football and of course our quest for qualification for the 2014 World Cup. I think we are blowing it out of proportion and we have to be very careful he,' he concluded.
Their matter has to be settled as soon as possible lest it affects the team. They need to behave like matured minds