Keshi drops six players

Super Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, has pruned the number of players in the national team camp with the release of six out of the 22 in camp.
The affected players have been effectively ruled out of the African Cup of Nations qualifier against Rwanda billed for Kigali on Wednesday.
If Keshi sticks to his words, five more home based players will be dropped as 11 slots have been allocated to them.

According to the Super Eagles handler, the dropped players will be recalled for two upcoming friendlies being planned by the Nigeria Football Federation for April.
Those released are Henry Uche of Enyimba International, Heartland’s trio of Uche Oguchi, Kingsley Salami and Kabir Umar, Osasco Omoma of Sunshine Stars and Niger United’s Daniel Essien.
Keshi said of the dropped players: “It was a painful decision, but it must be done for the sake of the nation and because we have our brothers coming from Europe.
“But it’s not to say the players are not good.
“They are very okay and we’ll call upon them soon again when we have friendlies lined up for the national team.”
The players have since left camp for their various clubsides and Keshi said he would continue to monitor them for discipline and how regularly they feature for their teams, as that will largely form the basis of their recall to the national team.
Meanwhile, the 16 players left in camp have intensified the battle for shirts in the national camp, with no one showing signs of dropping out for the other despite the intensity that the coaching crew has introduced into the training sessions.
Veteran journalist and Groups Sports Editor of Vanguard Newspapers, Onochie Anibeze, who watched Friday’s training, was so impressed with the players’ output that he declared that the good days of Nigerian football have returned.
Players still in camp: Chigozie Agbim, Okemuteh Odah, Godfrey Oboabona, Juwon Oshaniwa, Papa Idris, Azubuike Egwueke, Gabriel Reuben Uche Ossai, Sunday Mba, Bathlomew Ibenegbu, Barnabas Imenger, Obinna Nwachukwu, Izu Azuka, Ejike Uzoenyi, Solomon Jabason, Uche Kalu.