Nigeria Content Online

Super
Eagles and West Bromwich Albion striker, Osaze Odemwingie, has been
ruled out of the November 17 International friendly match between
Nigeria and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The recuperating
Eagles all-action player, who was on target against South Korea in a
previous friendly, has been replaced by the relatively unknown Akabueze
Chukwuma, who plays for Norwegian club, Odd Greenland. Chukwuma, a
left-footer, was one of the players that represented Nigeria at the
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. According to the teams’ handlers,
Osaze’s exclusion was primarily to allow him recuperate well and fast
enough from the knee injury that has seen him absent for his club in
the past three weeks. Osaze got a knock in his team’s 1-1 draw with
Bolton on Saturday, October 2, and he still remains a doubt for the
game against Blackpool on Monday, November 1. Also out of the 20-man
list previously released by the Eagles interim coach, Austin Eguavoen,
is Wasiu Sowemimo, who plies his trade with NPL side, Kano Pillars.
Nkume Alex, of VVV Venlo of Holland, has been drafted in to replace the
injured Pillars defender.

Yobo returns for the match

Meanwhile, Super
Eagles Skipper, Joseph Yobo, has been handed a late invitation to join
the team for the friendly. The new Fenerbahce of Turkey defender was
one of the high profile players that were initially left out of the
previous list of players invited for the match billed to take place in
Tehran next month. The addition of Yobo now brings the number of
players invited for the match to 21. While the likes of Yobo and
Vicient Enyeama were formally axed out of the team, Deputy Secretary
General of the NFF, Emmanuel Ikpeme, explained that the move was not
punitive, but meant to try out younger players.

“There is nothing to be read from the decision,” he said. “The
players are not dropped. We just want to try out some younger players
so that we can build strength in depth for the team. It also does not
mean that the players not invited are no longer members of the team.
They are our key members but we need to give other players a chance to
see if they can fit in when these big players for any reason, are
unavailable.” According to arrangements put in place by the NFF, the
home based players are to assemble in Abuja a week before the match
where they will train while the foreign based pros are expected to fly
straight to Iran and meet up with the squad two days to the match.
Iran, preparing for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011, lost to Brazil 3-0 in
a friendly held in Abu Dhabi, the UAE earlier this month.