Former Enugu Rangers and Super Eagles player, Sylvanus ‘Quick Silver’ Okpala, has revealed the circumstances that led to the Late Stephen Keshi dropping Ike Uche and Taye Taiwo from the national team ahead the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
WuzupNigeria reports that Taye Taiwo who last played for the Super Eagles in February 2012 against Rwanda had claimed he left the national team untimely due to Keshi’s dirty deals.
Keshi coached the Super Eagles from 2011–2014.
But Okpala, who was part of Keshi’s technical team, disagreed.
According to him, Taiwo and Uche were rebellious characters no coach would allow in his team.
Sylvanus Okpala said:
“I was not surprised that Ikechukwu Uche did not make it to the World Cup because I knew what we went through with him during the 2013 AFCON.
“In our first game, we were playing 1-1, but were reduced to 10 men and he was asked to come in. The coach told him what to do. When he got onto the pitch, he refused to do those things.
“We had to change another player to fortify our defence. When that player was going in, Stephen Keshi told him what to tell Uche, but he still refused to play to instruction. We were one man down and Uche was not falling back to defend.
“He was dropped from the team because he was disobedient. He kept on telling us that in his club, this was how they used to play. Then at a point in time, I called him and said there is a way we want you to play here. This is the Nigerian National team and not your club; so this is how we want you to play.
“Don’t come and tell us about your club. I told him that if he played for Villarreal and Liverpool bought him, will he go to Liverpool and start telling them that this is how they play in Villarreal?”
Okpala also revealed that Taiwo almost caused a mutiny in the build-up to the Nations Cup.
His words:
“I also read about Taiye Taiwo’s outburst in the papers. After our experience with him, we never invited him again.
“During our AFCON qualifier against Rwanda, Taiye didn’t play well in that game. Keshi complained after the game, but the players went back to their rooms and started plotting how to remove Keshi.
“They never knew that Keshi’s room was the next to Taiye’s room.
“Taiye was telling other players that Keshi was shouting at him and that he will do to Keshi what he did to other coaches and that they would ensure that Keshi was sacked.
“Keshi was in his room listening to their conversation. Now, most of them are now coming to talk about money. It wasn’t about money because I knew about these two issues involving Taiye and Uche.
“Which coach will like to invite a player who wants him sacked in his team? It’s not possible. I am telling you what happened as an insider.”
