Nigeria Content Online

Super
Eagles boss, Samson Siasia has said that Joseph Yobo will remain as the
captain of the national team for the time being. Siasia said a final
decision on the Super Eagles captaincy will be made only after the team
convenes sometime in the first quarter of 2011.

Yobo was deputy
skipper under erstwhile Super Eagles captain Nwankwo Kanu but has since
slotted into the role full-time following Kanu’s subsequent exclusion
from the national team in the aftermath of the 2010 World Cup in South
Africa.

“He (Yobo) has been
the captain even while Kanu was there, and I think he has been doing a
good job otherwise he wouldn’t have been selected in the first place,”
said Siasia.

“I haven’t had the
chance to gather all the players together under one roof but the moment
I get that opportunity I will see how things go.

“But for now he is still the captain,” he added.

The legendary Kanu,
a former two-time African Player of the Year award recipient, has
overtime refuted reports that he had called it quits with international
football but Siasia won’t be drawn into confirming or denying whether
the Portsmouth forward remains in his plans for the Super Eagles team
he plans to build ahead of the 2014 World Cup.

“I don’t want to
say anything about Kanu or whether he is in my plans or not,” said
Siasia. “He is one of the best players to have ever played for Nigeria
and everyone respects him for that.”

Yobo has been a
regular fixture in the Super Eagles side since making his African Cup
of Nations debut at the Mali 2002 tournament where the Super Eagles
finished in third place.

He has since gone
on to make four further appearances at Africa’s showpiece event as well
as two appearances at the FIFA World Cup.

Now 30 and with 75
international caps, Yobo is still waxing strong for Turkish side
Fenerbahce, a side he joined at the start of the season on-loan from
English Premier League side, Everton where he was previously the deputy
to club skipper Phil Neville.

Qualities of a skipper

But does he possess the qualities Siasia wishes to have in whoever gets to emerge as the skipper of his side?

“A good captain
must be a natural leader, that is, he must command the respect of his
teammates both on and off the pitch and also give this same respect to
his teammates,” said Siasia.

“He should be able
to communicate to me or to any other coach in the team any problems the
players may have. He should also show a great deal of commitment not
only during matches, but also during training so as to bring out the
best in others.

“He should also be
a regular as it makes no sense to have a captain who is most of the
time on the bench both for club and country,” added Siasia.

Based on the
national team’s outings beginning from January’s African Cup of Nations
in Angola, many came to the conclusion that Yobo commands the respect
of most of his team mates.

He is also a
regular fixture in the Super Eagles even though the case was not the
same prior to his move to Turkey as he had been frozen out of the
Everton starting-eleven by club manager David Moyes.

Though he is no longer as fast as he once was, the former Marseille player, still shows a lot of commitment on match days.

Asked whether he thinks Yobo has the needed qualities, former Super Eagles midfielder, Etim Esin said, “I think he does”.

“I have had the opportunity of watching some of their training
sessions and he shows a lot of commitment. “I think he has done well as
captain but the decision rests with the coach,” Esin added.