Following the public outcry over the inclusion of clubless captain Ahmed Musa in the list of 23 players for the forthcoming AFCON qualifiers, Coach Gernot Rohr has come out to defend his decision to invite the pacy forward.
For several months now, Musa has not played competitive football after he was released by Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
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Although the former CSKA Moscow and Leicester City striker was named among the eight strikers in the list released yesterday by the Nigeria Football Federation, the technical adviser of the team has said he will play no active part in the matches against Benin Republic and Lesotho.
Responding to questions from our reporter, the Franco-German tactician who responded via WhatsApp said Musa was invited as the captain of the team.
Rohr reiterated that Musa won’t play against Benin Republic and Lesotho in this month’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying battles.
He said, “He is not on the list of 23. He is invited like a captain, not like a player on the list.”
Similarly, a former Super Eagles midfielder Dahiru Sadi, while reacting to the invitation of Musa said he is okay with his inclusion in the list as he may have other roles to play for the coach.
“Maybe the coach has confidence in him, maybe the way he arranges the players for him. There are several factors for inviting him as a senior player. Maybe he can organize the team for him,” he stated.
The Super Eagles who sit on top of Group E table with eight points (one ahead of Benin Republic and five more than third-placed Sierra Leone) will tackle the Squirrels of Benin Republic at the Stade Charles de Gaulle in Porto Novo on Saturday, 27th March and will lock horns with the Crocodiles of Lesotho at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos three days later.
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