On Tuesday, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) released its 23-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying series against Lesotho and Benin Republic.
One name that set tongues wagging immediately was the inclusion of the unattached 28-year-old Super Eagles captain, Ahmed Musa who has not played an official game for a club since October when he played for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
His selection raised so much dust which has refused to settle considering that he was picked ahead of several players who are presently performing well for their clubs in Europe.
Franco-German tactician, Gernot Rohr, however, told Trust Sports that Musa was given an honorary place in Nigeria’s squad as a non-playing captain.
“He is not on the list of 23. He is invited like a captain, not like a player on the list,” he said to Trust Sports.
Unfortunately his explanation didn’t douse the cat calls that greeted his list as Nigerians from different walks of life have continued to question the rationale behind placing on standby Paul Onuachu who has been consistent in scoring goals for his Belgian club and inviting a ‘clubless’ player.
It is said Rohr does not have full confidence in Onuachu following his recent unimpressive outings with the Super Eagles. However, fans of the player are of the opinion that he deserves to play a prominent role in the present Super Eagles on account of his goals record this season.
Many have alleged that Rohr is lazy and not ready to sweat on how best to bring the best out of Onuachu with even his Genk coach John van den Brom offering some tips.
Furthermore, those who believe in the lanky forward have maintained the view that his no-goal performance in his last games was practically not his fault as the Eagles midfield practically surrendered proceedings to opponent and never supplied any meaningful balls to him.
Many have therefore concluded that if one of the major criteria for choosing strikers in anywhere in the world is the striker’s goals’ account, the handler of the Super Eagles wasn’t fair to the Genk burly marksman.
Chibuzor Chidoke, an auto mechanic, said Rohr must have invited Musa because of his wealth of experience which may be useful for other players in the team.
“Musa is our captain and senior player and he is needed in the team to offer advice to the younger players when they play against Lesotho and Benin Republic. He is experienced and will inspire them. I think that is why the coach invited him,” he said.
However, Obi Okonkwo disagreed with his colleague, saying he is not in support of Musa’s invitation because players should be selected based on current form.
“I am not in support of this invitation. This is a guy who has been out of active football for six months (sic) now. What does he have to offer in the team especially now that we are playing two crucial games needed for our qualification for 2021 AFCON? I hope he doesn’t play as he is definitely going to be rusty,” he stated.
Also, Abubakar Yakubu, apparently a Kano Pillars supporter who spoke in Hausa said there is nothing wrong with Musa’s invitation as he insisted that the former Pillars man will deliver even if he is not active.
“Musa is our main guy. He is the best player Nigeria has now. Whether he is clubless or not, he will deliver any day any time. Musa is a very good player. Sai Musa,” he enthusiastically said.
In the same vein, Ayoola Babatunde was non-committal about the player’s inclusion, saying the coach has the right to invite who he needs. He, however, prayed for the Super Eagles to be on the plane to Cameroon.
“Rohr must have his reasons for inviting him knowing full well that he is not attached to a club now. I read it somewhere that he will be returning to the Premier League.
“But in my own opinion, the slot has been wasted. Hopefully he doesn’t play and we make it eventually,” he said.
Another fan who declined to give his name believes Musa will do well so long as he has been training to keep himself in shape.
“Ahmed Musa is so good that he was invited despite not playing football. My friends in Jos tell me he trains regularly and I think he will do well if he plays. He has that ability to play well for us,” he said.
Mayowa Akintunde, a youth corps member appreciates the loyalty Musa has shown to the national team in the past but expressed his displeasure at his invitation while putting Onuachu on a standby list.
“We appreciate Musa’s contributions to the success and maybe failure of the national team. He has been one of our most reliable and best players so far. I can’t forget how he made us happy in Russia.
“He was the only one that performed well for us but the truth is that he ought not to have been invited because he has not been playing. Nigerians are not bothered about other players because they play every week regardless of the clubs they play for. Why would our coach put Onuachu on standby? A player that is banging in goals almost every week for his club,” he stated.
The Super Eagles need a point to qualify for the 2021 AFCON to be staged in Cameroon next year. They lead their qualifying group with eight points after four rounds of matches.
They face Benin in Porto-Novo on March 27 and then welcome Lesotho to Lagos three days later to round up their qualifying campaign.
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