Keshi maintains Yobo is still Captain

Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi has said Fernabahce of Turkey star defender, Joseph Tambarin Yobo, remains the national team skipper, even if he has not been in constant contact with him recently.

Speaking at a media interraction at the team’s camp Bolton White Apartments in Abuja on Wednesday, Keshi says he has a lot of respect for Yobo because of what he has done for the nation and cannot invite him to the team only to put him on the bench. “It will not be fair to invite Yobo to the national team and asked him to be on the bench, it will be a huge disgrace and I won’t be part of that. When the team needs him he will be recalled and will definitely start as captain even if along the line we substitute him”.

Keshi used the opportunity of the media parley to praise the proactive manner the Nigeria Football Federation have been handling affairs of the national players despite its lean financial situiation and thanked the Aminu Maigari led board for their hardwork.

He called for more support for the NFF so that they can meet their obligations to all the national teams and declared that all the players who have not been invited in the current squad still have an opportunity to be part of the team in nearest future, provided they keep their form. 

“For the captain of the team, he has to work extra hard to remain so because he is leader of the team and that has been the philosophy of the team since we took over because that was the way we were brought up to captain the national team”, declared the longest serving Eagles captain.

Stephen Keshi is preparing the Home based eagles for the return leg of the CAF CHAN qualifiers in Ivory Coast with Nigeria taking a 4-1 advantage.