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Enyeama’s Saga: God Is My Witness, Says Oliseh

By Gowon Akpodonor with agency reports
10 October 2015   |   3:46 am
Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, has said that he is hunted by the ‘assassination’ of his person, following allegation by goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama that he (Oliseh) insulted his late mother at the team’s camp in Belgium.
Oliseh

Oliseh

Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, has said that he is hunted by the ‘assassination’ of his person, following allegation by goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama that he (Oliseh) insulted his late mother at the team’s camp in Belgium.

Enyeama ditched the Super Eagles in Belgium, quitting his international career, following a disagreement between him and the coach.

Among other things, Enyeama alleged that the coach ordered security men to throw him out of the team’s camp, adding that he was stripped. But Oliseh told www.footballlive.ng yesterday that Enyeama lied against him just to tarnish his image.

“I am deeply saddened, troubled and profoundly hurt by the assassination of my person as Vincent Enyeama has done over the past two days,” Oliseh said. “Me insulting his mother? These allegations are unheard of.

”When I was appointed chief coach of the Super Eagles, I drove to Lille to see Vincent, took him to lunch and discussed how we wanted to move forward with him as my captain. I shared my philosophy with him and he made a statement I didn’t like. He said he was going to retire in a year or two, and I told him I wouldn’t hear of it as he was the captain because we were thinking of taking the team to the 2017 AFCON and 2018 World Cup. But we can’t build a team with you as captain if you are retiring in 2017.

“Two weeks ago before the camp started, he told us about his mother’s burial, but I couldn’t go and there was an arrangement with the President who assured me he would be there on behalf of the NFF and team. But he started talking about retirement, so at that moment I felt we needed someone else as captain. It had nothing to do with hurting anybody.

“We started camp on Monday, and to my greatest surprise, Mikel Obi and Ighalo came in on Sunday night. We had invited four goalkeepers and he told us he had to bury his mother. So, obviously, he couldn’t report to camp early until Tuesday, just about the time we were rounding up. He drove into training ground.

“Prior to his coming in, the Nigerian Ambassador to Belgium came in to talk with the team because our delegation had not been given visas to come. Six players were stuck in Nigeria over the hitch and two of them were goalkeepers. And somebody had to act in the absence of the captain, which Ahmed Musa had been doing well prior to matches against Tanzania and Niger.

“I remember that when the Ambassador wrapped up, I told Musa, as the captain, to introduce the team as a way to appreciate the support. The boys did not train well that afternoon, and later at dinner, I told them I was not happy and demanded more from them. Only for Vincent to stand up insisting on saying something, but I told him to see me about it later.

“He refused and as side talks persisted, I called him to order, but he started raising his voice. I told him we couldn’t have two coaches in the team and that he had to retire to his room. His colleagues got up and escorted him out of the hall. Two of his colleagues, Ahmed Musa and Mikel Obi, came in later to plead on his behalf and we left it there. Only for issues to start popping up on social media alleging we insulted him and his late mother,” Oliseh stated.

Speaking further, the coach said: “Most people are not aware of this, but I’ll tell you that when we went to play in Tanzania, I personally asked for the team to wear the black band in honor of his mother and for us to observe a minute’s silence. We asked and we went through the channel of Dayo Enebi, but they said we should have made the demand earlier. Does this sound like a man who wants to humiliate his captain?

“What happened after wards was alarming. We had only two goalkeepers, 15 players and we were playing a friendly game so we had to call in players who did not need visas to come into Belgium as quick as possible to make up numbers. We now had to call in Dele Alampasu because we had only two goalkeepers. We were already making a case with Alloy to get ready, if anything happened. We called Efe Ambrose and Madu in, working like we were a fire brigade.
I did not even have time to reply social media chats because we had to work.

However on the match day, Vincent did not come to lunch. I was confused because I thought we had put all of the previous night’s issues behind us. I called him and asked why he wasn’t in for lunch and he said he was returning to his club. He said because I invited Alampasu he was leaving. Alloy Agu is my witness, God is my witness,” Oliseh added.

25 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    Two of them don’t trust each other. It goes like this; A guy wants to retire in two years, his master is asking him to retire now!
    Love or I kill you. Love me or I die. What is the difference?

    • Author’s gravatar

      If two of them do not trust each other as you posited, then who should remain!. The Coach or the Captain. Nigerians must wake up to reality instead of playing logic and thinking the corrupt ways always. Yeye de smell.

  • Author’s gravatar

    We should stop blame game, I guess NFF should call the two parties involved and help in settle the grievances! I respected this coach but Vincent also must be celebrated for his hard work for his Father’s Land Pls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Author’s gravatar

      And also be celebrated for his lies. This is why your politicians manipulate and enslave you NIGERIANS. Yeye de smell.

      • Author’s gravatar

        Please, are you Sunday Oliseh? Why introduce tribal sentiments into a purely football discuss? Why do you like insulting people? I hope tomorrow you will not deny the insults as Oliseh is trying to do now!
        Nigeria desires a change of heart from you!

    • Author’s gravatar

      Leave NFF out of this. It is too early in the day. Oliseh as the team manager should learn to take responsibility for whatever goes on in the team. NFF should back off.

  • Author’s gravatar

    I guess Oliseh didn’t really want Enyeama and so took advantage of Enyeama’s mention of his retirement plan to quickly begin accelerating the retirement with immediate effect, otherwise one of d things expected of a team builder is to first attempt to dissuade d player from retirement. This happens everywhere. In any case, someone should just resolve this amicably if for nothing, for the morale of the team.

    • Author’s gravatar

      If Oliseh did not want Enyeama, do He not have the right as a Coach. Please go back to sleep. Yeye de smell.

      • Author’s gravatar

        He has d right 100%. How he uses the right no one flogs him but whatever style he chooses defines his leadership credentials and guess what? Oliseh knows the importance of being careful with man management and that’s why he is even trying to make the public not see it like he isn’t a good man-manager.

  • Author’s gravatar

    Oliseh, please do not mind these naive shallow minded and Igbophobia and Biafraphobia Nigerians. Docile people who believe in junk journalism like in Punch, Vanguard, Tribune and Saharareporters. Any Nation and its people who abhor integrity and embrace corruption and lies are doomed and will be moving backwards instead of forward. Yeye de smell.

  • Author’s gravatar

    What ever is the case, Oliseh is to be blamed for all these; and he will be haunted by them throughout his term as Super Eagles Coach.
    He had the right to change his Captain, but he set out to do so in a bad manner for which he is paying the price.

  • Author’s gravatar

    keshi, saisai will be better than you, the way you are going.Ask those before you oo

  • Author’s gravatar

    Good he gave his account. Something tells me that Oliseh is telling the truth. But the problem is he should have kept Oliseh as Captain from the word go without announcing putting forth Ahmed Mu

  • Author’s gravatar

    Didn’t finish my though. He should not have mentioned Ahmed Musa’s name until Enyeama leaves the team. Oliseh brought all this wahala on himself. Well, let’s forget the past and move on.

  • Author’s gravatar

    Oliseh is mentally retarded, emotionally and psychologically unstable. he is a liar, and unworthy to lead the super eagles. His fisrt assignment was the start trouble in the Eagles camp, and create a division in the camp. He needs to be tthown away like a filty water from a dirty cloth.We need competent foreign coach, Keshi was bad, Siasia was worse, but Oliseh is WORST OF THE WORST

  • Author’s gravatar

    God does not like LIARS like Sunday Oliseh , because cannot bear witness to a LIAR. Oliseh only option is to repent, recall ENYEAMA, and honorably exit the stage before he further humiliates himself. SUNDAL OLISEH IS NOTHING BUT A FOOL

  • Author’s gravatar

    The over 170 million coaches in this country should leave Sunday Oliseh alone to do his job. These bunch were the same ones who never gave Sampson SiaSia & Stephen Keshi a breathing space. These former coaches were practically hounded out of office & now this. In saner climes such irresponsible behaviour from players is never accepted.

  • Author’s gravatar

    During the discussion Enyeama said certain things that he did not say. What are those things to enable the public know the truth better.

  • Author’s gravatar

    I believe Oliseh didn’t handle this situation wisely. Vincent has just lost his mother and is going through a lot of stress, Mr Oliseh decides to compound issues for the man who has been Nigeria’s best player in recent years . He said he was retiring but has not yet retired. Why would you want to change him when he is still there. There are many examples of people remaining club captains until they actually leave. It is called honor. You can place his successor as a vice captain and groom him that way. Oliseh, your hot headedness is still following you even in coaching.

  • Author’s gravatar

    OLISEH IS ABSOLUTELY INSENSITIVE TO THE FACT THAT HIS PLAYER, OUR PLAYER, ONE THE BEST GOAL-KEEPERS IN THE WORLD, A NATIONAL HERO FOR THAT MATTER… JUST LOST HIS MOM… & RECENTLY TOO…!!! COME ON NOW ROOKIE-COACHie…¿¿¿ IF YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO BE SUPPORTIVE IN TIMES LIKE THIS… ESPECIALLY, TO YOUR OWN PLAYERS…, PLS GO BACK TO SCHOOL & LEARN HOWTO…
    PLEASE STEP-DOWN NOW TO SAVE FACE… TO SAY THE LEAST… IT’S SO SAD THAT OUR LEADERS ARE FAILING US EVERYDAY, AND SUCH NONCHALANT ATTITUDE IS OBVIOUSLY PASSING ON TO UPCOMING GENERATION… SAME INSENSITIVITY METED TO RASHIDI YEKINNI’S TRYING TIME… TILL HE EVENTUALLY DIED FOR THOSE THAT DO NOT CARE FOR HIM… WHILE HIS FOREIGN BASE RECOGNIZED & HONOR HIM… EVEN MANY YEARS AFTER HE RETIRED. WHILE A NATION IS IN THE HEART OF A GOOD CITIZEN, FAMILY COMES FIRST NO MATTER WHAT… & THE DECISION REGARDING WHEN TO ANSWER A NATIONAL CALL &/or CARRY ITS FLAG LIES SOLELY ON A BEREAVED CITIZEN.
    IF YOU CAN’T BE THERE FOR YOUR BOY IN TIMES LIKE THIS, PLEASE LET HIM BE & RESIGN WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT…!!!
    #GOODLUCK29JA…!!!
    Assassinating your player’s character in times of sorrow is absurd, unwarranted, & such makes a dungeon-dungeon bully out of your own person, man!

    “Only for me at the end of my speech for me to go to my seat to sit down, was for Vincent to stand up to say he wanted to say something and I told him, look this is not the time to say anything because we just had a discussion about how to improve, we will discuss personal issues after. He said no he wanted to say something and I refused and said No i don’t want you to say anything. Please sit down, later you can come to me, we could sought whatever it is out. He said No and he was adamant he wanted to say something. So I told him with all dues respect, this is the Super Eagles and I am the coach. We are not going to have two coaches. I decide who talks and when to talk at a meeting and at the moment I am telling you no. If you refuse to do what I am saying then it is better you go out. He was still adamant and trying to raise his voice and then I said it is either you go out or we leave the room for you or I will get you to be taken out because you are stopping the team from even having dinner and eventually his team mates got up and took him out and said hey come off it Vincent. At one point I told him, its either you stop this now or you can go back home and when he continued I gave him a handshake and told him Now you can go home. I have released you. You just came in, you have not even trained and you are already looking for an argument or problem and so I told him go home. because he had not even had any training session. So I went to my room and 5 of his colleagues Mikel, Emenike, Musa Onazi and Echejile, came to me and said coach we have spoken to him and he is aware. We know him sometimes he talks before he thinking. I said okay he can stay, we are trying to build a team, you can sty. The next morning he came, everything was settled, we ate breakfast. As we were about to go for training, I received a message from back home where Vincent had insinuated publicly that I had insulted the memory of his mother when I spoke to the team and this was really hurtful and a blatant lie and I find it quite, with all due respect, insane because you can’t make an accusation, a false accusation when there are so many witnesses as much as 19 players, 3 other officials and there was no reason to talk about your mum because you were just coming into camp” Above is Sunday Oliseh’s side of the story. For me, Enyeama’s colleague couldn’t have bundled him out of the building. Another funny thing here is that they confessed to Oliseh that Enyeama sometimes talk before thinking.

  • Author’s gravatar

    Oliseh has the right to choose his own captain, Enyeama came to the camp despite his mum’s passing so he Is expected to cooperate with his boss. They both don’t need this story telling. Enyama can quit if he wants to. Its not the end of Nigeria’s footy