I WILL PLAY FOR NIGERIA UNTIL I AM WEAK TO DO SO - Vincent Enyeama
For Nigerian's the most alarming news of the year in the sport circle is that making waves of the rift between the newly appointed coach of the super eagles Sunday Oliseh and his goalie Vincent Enyeama. It could be recalled that the goal keeper had recently lost his mother, but still found time to attend to his duties as a patriotic Nigerian to honor the call of his coach. But things took a different turn as the unbelievable happened,
First reports reached us say that just about the time the team mates sat down to eat their dinner, the coach Sunday Oliseh broke the news to them, his need for change in the candidate of his captain, he expressed to Enyeama that he would no more be needed as a captain, and he was surprised to have him at camp considering the fact that he had lost his mother, but expressed gratitude that he could make it.
In a report while speaking to journalist the goalie who had kept mute and watched with admiration the news revolving around his person had this to say; I have learnt a lot. Not to trust any man. But to trust only God. Only God doesn’t disappoint. But this is so painful for me. What do you think those young players will think? ‘Oh, if Vincent is being treated this way, what about me? I don’t have a future.’ It discourages people from playing for their country. It discourages people from giving so much for this country. Imagine you were working so hard for your establishment and one day , your boss walks in and says,”You’re fired.” How would you feel?
In a report while speaking to journalist the goalie who had kept mute and watched with admiration the news revolving around his person had this to say; I have learnt a lot. Not to trust any man. But to trust only God. Only God doesn’t disappoint. But this is so painful for me. What do you think those young players will think? ‘Oh, if Vincent is being treated this way, what about me? I don’t have a future.’ It discourages people from playing for their country. It discourages people from giving so much for this country. Imagine you were working so hard for your establishment and one day , your boss walks in and says,”You’re fired.” How would you feel?
Hmmmmm
Answer me. In the presence of everybody in the meeting room, he says, “Mr. Destiny, you’re fired! You are relieved of your duties.” I wonder what you would do?
I would summon up courage and ask why.
That is what I did. I asked, ‘Why?’ And he said, “Walk out or I’ll call the cops.”
His Story
When I came to camp, I had no issues with my coach. The coach has been a big part of me. He is there for me. He fought for me when I had issues with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF). The coach defended me all the way. I have never had an issue with him.
He (Oliseh) doesn’t know me. I don’t know him. We have never played together. We have never shared a football field, together. The first thing that happened when I first arrived at the camp was a meeting. At the meeting, the coach addressed the players. The first thing he said was that he invited four goalkeepers to camp because he never expected me to come to the camp.
Secondly, he said that I was no more the captain of the team. That he had decided and he calls the shots. That was before dinner. He ended his speech with, “Enjoy your dinner”.
For me, it was a little bit shocking because I spoke with the NFF chairman (Amaju Pinnick) during the burial of my mother in Akwa Ibom. I was trying to excuse myself from coming to the camp because of the burial. He said, “No, Vincent, you have to be in camp”. He pushed me to be in camp. And because I really respect him (Pinnick), I told him I was going to leave everything, the thanksgiving service for my late mum. I told him, I was going to abandon it and come to the camp, which I did.
All the family meetings, everything we had to do with the people in the village, I abandoned all that and came to the camp.
So, for me to get my first welcome message of being stripped of captainship was a little bit not good for me. And after I had taken my food and ate, dinner had commenced. I am just telling you what played out.
I said, “Coach, please, I would like to say something.” He said, “No, you can’t talk”. I insisted that I wanted to talk. He insisted that I can’t talk. He then said that if I wanted to talk, he would order the team out and nobody would listen to me and I would sit there and talk alone or I would have to walk out if I insisted on talking.
I said, “Coach, I still want to say something.” And he said, “Vincent, get out! You have to leave now. If you don’t leave, I’m going to call the cops, the security to throw you out of this hotel.” He used the word, “security”.
He then got up, went to the door and opened it and commanded me to go out. He said, “Go out, go out, Vincent! Or I am going to call the security.”
So that is how it played out.
So, for me to lose my mother, be invited to the camp, only to be stripped of captainship. Then out of argument, to be threatened to have the cops or security called for me, to me, I think it is the height of it.
I have heard all sorts of things that Neymar this and that. They never treated Thiago Silva that way. They never treated Mascherano that way. Some Nigerians can say whatever they want to say, but for me, I feel that’s not the right way to be treated.
I am still open for playing for Nigeria till the day I die. Till the day I can stop playing football. Till the day God gives me the grace to stop playing football or to keep playing football. As long as I can play football, I will play for my country. Even at the age of 100, if I can play football, I am still open to playing for Nigeria.
But, now, I just want to go home and be with my family.
After the Incident did you still train with the team?
I am still with the team because Pinnick told me to wait till he comes (to Belgium). The president of the NFF told me to wait, that is why I am waiting. I am respecting him. That is why I am still in the camp.
The coach said he doesn’t need me, doesn’t want me, he doesn’t know me. And he doesn’t want to know me. So, I shouldn’t be forced to play with such a coach.
I don’t have a problem with him (Oliseh). He is a great man. He is a a great guy. He is a nice guy. But, I tell you the truth, I just wanna go home and be with my family. This period, I am mourning my mum, I don’t want any more problems. Now, people are saying all kinds of things like, “Vincent is stubborn”.
I don’t know if there is anybody in this world who is treated that way that would not want to know why he is being stripped of the captainship.
I am not so concerned about being captain. I don’t have a problem with it (being removed as captain). But, I think I should be given an excuse, a reason why.
I have been playing for Nigeria for 13 years. So I feel if a decision is being taken on me, I think I deserve to know why.
And moreso, I was being invited. I did not come through the backdoor. I was invited.
In my club, in the European Club, if a coach doesn’t play you in a match, he comes to your room, or he calls you, or he invites you to his room. He tells you, “You’re not going to play today, because I want to field another player”. It shows respect.
I have worked so hard for my country. I was part of the success of Nigerian football, then I am being treated like that without being given a chance to express myself. Then, I think that is not fair.
I am feeling so sad. I am feeling really, really sad. Because I would have stopped playing football for Nigeria after the World Cup. But, then, I changed my mind because I love the country so much. I love Nigeria so much. I want her to return to glory. I want to be part of that glory. I want to be part of the pain. I want to be part of what happens in Nigerian football. It breaks my heart that Nigerian football is struggling. But, then, I want to be part of rewriting our story.
But, if the coach and the people don’t want me to be part of it, I believe there are better ways of taking me out. You can call me and talk to me. You can send me a message. You can do a phone call. You don’t need to invite me to camp, to tell me in the presence of everyone. You don’t need to invite me to tell me that you’re going to call the cops for me.
I did nothing wrong. I am not an armed robber. I feel bad, I feel bad. I am telling you the truth. I feel really bad. I feel very sad.
HIS PLEA
I am still a Nigerian and will forever be, I only plead with my fellow country men to give me time to mourn the loss of my mother as I ought to, and also clear my head off so as to put me in a good frame of mind and I promise to return.
How long will that be?
For now I cannot say, but what i can say is I will be back soon
