Oliseh row takes new twist
*Oliseh was happy to help Dortmund rather than play for Nigeria
Former Nigeria skipper Sunday Oliseh claims coach Adegboye Onigbinde is not in charge of the World Cup-bound team.
Oliseh gave a new twist to the row which has rumbled on between him and Onigbinde and which threatens to undermine morale in the Super Eagles’ camp.
Onigbinde claimed Borussia Dortmund midfielder Oliseh snubbed him by failing to return calls.
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It’s not the coach deciding the team, it’s somebody above him who is deciding for him who he should play
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Sunday Oliseh
Neither Oliseh or Ipswich Town’s Finidi George have played for Nigeria since they led a players’ protest over air ticket refunds at the African Cup of Nations in February.
Oliseh’s omission from Nigeria’s squad since then prompted him to say: “It’s not the coach deciding the team.
“It is somebody above him who is deciding for him who he should play,”
Local media reports have suggested the country’s sports minister, Ishaya Mark Aku, ordered the players be blacklisted after the Nations Cup episode.
Oliseh denied Onigbinde’s claims that he is being ignored by the midfielder.
Onigbinde claimed he had called the Borussia Dortmund midfielder four times in an attempt to discuss his international future, but had received no reply.
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The Nigeria coach said: “I can’t beg him to come and play for Nigeria.”
In an exclusive interview with BBC’s Fast Track programme, Oliseh said that he had not been contacted by the coach.
“After the exclusion of myself and Finidi George, there were a lot of things talked about. But I have not spoken to Onigbinde.”
“For someone to say they contacted me and I’m refusing to join, that’s not true,” he said.
Oliseh has not played for the Super Eagles since Onigbinde took over from Amodu Shaibu after the African Nations Cup.
But he said he did not feel frozen out because of this.
“I don’t feel excluded,” he stated.
“The last two games Nigeria played, it was good for my club that I was not part of it because it let me focus on the Uefa Cup and the Bundesliga.
“I’ve had my wing in the team for 10 years, and it’s not right to be greedy.”
Oliseh also warned Onigbinde against taking an inexperienced side to the World Cup where Nigeria are drawn in a tough first round group with Argentina, England and Sweden.
He said: “The World Cup is for men,”
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