Vincent Enyeama ditched the Super Eagles in Belgium; calling time on his international career, but not without some controversy. He alleged the head coach Sunday Oliseh insulted his late mother, had security throw him out of the camp and stripped him. In an exclusive interview with www.footballlive.ng Sunday Oliseh debunked the claims insisting the 33-year-old defamed.

I am deeply saddened, troubled and profoundly hurt by the assassination of my person as Vincent Enyeama has done over the past two days on social about me insulting his mother, these allegations are unheard of.

When I was appointed the chief coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, I drove to Lille to see Vincent, took him to lunch and discussed how we wanted to move forward with him as my captain. I shared my philosophy with him and he made a statement I didn’t like, he said he was going to retire in a year or two and I told him I wouldn’t hear of it as he was the captain of the team because we were thinking of taking the team to the 2017 AFCON and 2018 World Cup; but we can’t build a team with you as captain if you are retiring in 2017.

2 weeks ago before the camp started he told us about his mother’s burial but I couldn’t go and there was an arrangement with the President who assured me he’d be there on behalf of the NFF and team. But he started talking about retirement so at that moment I felt we needed someone else as captain; it had nothing to do with hurting anybody.

I don’t know Vincent personally, I’ve only been named coach and in fact we’ve seen only once. He’s served Nigeria very well and as Captain, I was also captain and I know how difficult that job is.
We started camp on Monday, to my greatest surprise Mikel Obi and Ighalo camp in on Sunday night. We had invited 4 goalkeepers and he told us he had to bury his mother. So, Obviously he couldn’t report to camp early until Tuesday, just about the time we were rounding up; he drove into training ground.

Prior to his coming in, we had the Nigeria ambassador to Belgium come in to talk with the team because our delegation had not been given visas to come in, 6 players were stuck in Nigeria over the hitch; 2 of them were goalies. And somebody had to act in the absence of the Captain which Musa had been doing well prior to the Tanzania and Niger games. And I remember, when the Ambassador wrapped up I told Musa; as the captain, to introduce the team as a way to appreciate the support.

Source: Punch