Kelechi Iheanacho has called on all players from participating teams at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations to show the rest of the world how great football on the continent is.
The build-up to the tournament, which kicks off on January 9, will see a number of teams in the Premier League and other top European leagues lose key players in the middle of the domestic season.
It’s led to some questions about whether players will carry on playing for their club instead of their country.
Read Also: Onyekuru, Ebuehi, Ajayi, Olayinka Replace Osimhen, Balogun, Abdullahi, Dennis In Nigeria’s AFCON Squad
Iheanacho, who’s due to represent Nigeria in Cameroon, believes this is an opportunity for all the nations to show the world what they can do.
He told talkSPORT: “We need to keep doing what we’re doing and do our best and keep showing the world that Africa deserves more and there are more opportunities for good footballers over there.
“Our competition needs to be looked at as well but I think we need to prove with our play that our competition is underrated by doing extraordinary things on the pitch, by scoring goals, by performing really well so when we do that it will speak for itself.”
15 Comments
You spoke well Senior Man, but then, be careful what you wish for oh….make Salah no go give us hot wahala for opening fixture LOL
Complete Sports let me release the truth here.
Dennis was right to shun the national teams for the following reasons first he was denied early call up and this made Watford question how much Nigeria needed him and if you noticed how he was once treated against Sierra Leone. Dennis is a very vital player for Nigeria but he is ill treated. I have to read this two links to understand everything that NFF,Rohr and Eguavoen are not serious people.
If there’s no assurance he has the right to stay back, and help his team instead of coming to sit in bench and loose value.
So the confusion ends here.
@China, You have spoken the real truth of the matter.
Complete Sports removing links from Owngoal and Scorenigeria what a propaganda from all of you at the NFF including the media Complete Sports. Publish the news of Dennis absence??? EPL player of the season not given game assurance. Are we for real? So he comes and sit on Afcon bench and devalue.
Nigeria could not secure Adeleye,Dessers, Dennis, Bassey, Izuchukwu and Amoo because of corruption not injury. These players will be spectators during Afcon.
Dennis has disciplinary issues , is he the only one in the team , is he messi, even Messi cannot be assured of that .Well I hope he won’t come looking to represent Nigeria in the world cup , he is good radiance to bad rubbish !!.Nigeria can not lack players , my worry is that Eguavoen does he has the tactical depth to win the cup , why didn’t he call up Dessers and Amoo?..well I wish them all the best .
Well said @steven o. I was shock to hear Dennis giving such condition before honoring invitation in a star studed team like the SE. Nigeria boast of the best wingers in the world so how can a player ask to be guaranteed a starting place before honoring invitation. That’s a capital disrespect to other players , the coach and even the country. He should never be invited again unless he apologises to the nation. S.E is bigger than any player and team discipline must be upheld to achieve success. We are marching towards getting a squad in the mold of 1994 where great ballers like Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu et al were not guaranteed starting places . with such attitude Denis does not fit in so let him excuse us.
We really need to be objective in our analysis. Even players that are better than Dennis are not asking for automatic starting 11 shirt. No matter what he thinks of himself he is not better than Osimhen. And I have never seen Osimhen asking for an automatic shirt. Can he ask his manager in Watford for an automatic shirt? The guy has a serious disciplinary issue. And to think this particular guy is one of the major reasons why some people were crucifying Rohr is just unimaginable.
Another clear hypocrisy is that Rohr was the only one being insulted on his exclusion while Rohr was the coach. Now I expect only Egu to be criticized this time around by the same people who were vilifying Rohr. But we are beginning to see some modifications in the blame game. It is now NFF, Rohr and Egu. This is just the beginning for all the hypocrites on this forum. Much more drama is ahead. Rohr was never our main problem. NFF, Dare, and some other corrupt Nigerians have always been our major problem.
That is just it @Debo the guy has attitude problem infact that was what causes him his place at Koln when he was on loan before returning to club Brugge. How can a player be telling his club that he want to sit on a particular place in his team bus? It was reported that he attacked Rohr in one of the match then because he was not among the first eleven but Nigerians ignored all these and started attacking Rohr because of their hatred for him. I hope they will praise their indigenous Eguavon now? When we say most of our problem are caused by ourselve they will start speaking English. I had rather have a united team than a player that will tear the team apart after all he is not a Messi.
@tayo, spot on!
@tayo The sitting or no sitting issues happened when he was in Club Brugge, meanwhile he had one or two problems too while he was at Fc Köln…
Guys,
Covid-19 has started rearing its ugly head oh.
May God help us see this AFCON to completion
I wonder why Eguavoen left Taiwo Awonoyi behind and call up Peter olayinka for Christ sake.this guy scores in every match for his club and yet the coach and NFF failed to recognise this high scoring lad from German club.well I wait and see what you guys will perform at AFCON.
Taiwo had been invited already and He is even in camp. It mean you are not following the event properly.
Thanks for the update..