Super Eagles skipper, Joseph Yobo of Turkish side, Fernabahce, and Osaze Odemwengie of West Brom have reassured the national team that they will arrive on time for the team’s departure for Kigali , Rwanda on Monday.
This, according to Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, was conveyed though phone calls and text messages from not only the duo but nearly all players invited.
“In fact, this Thursday morning I received a very reassuring text message from Osaze, saying he would arrive on Sunday after his game on Saturday. Yobo and others have also been calling to pep us up and I must say it has been very encouraging to the team,” Keshi said after another rigorous training under the heat of Abuja, which stood at 36 degrees celcius on Thursday afternoon.
The former Super Eagles skipper added that even players who were not invited to camp have been calling him to find out why they were left out and he has assured them that their time will come under his reign as the national team manager.
On the home-based players in camp, Keshi said they have started to show true professionalism and it would show when the team squares up against Rwanda in Kigali next Wednesday.
“Though, we are still on the look out for more players who can break into this team from any part of the country, because only the best should be playing for the national team of Nigeria, but these ones in camp have shown tremendous commitment and spirit and I can beat my chest they we are gradually reaching our destination.”
Meanwhile, Thursday’s conditioning of national team players for the battle of Kigali, was so rigorous and caught many players unawares that team skipper, Chigozie Agbim, had to take some time off the Abuja heat before rejoining the team with the permission of Keshi.
“The heat here is unbelievable but we must do it for our fatherland,” he moaned when he rejoined his team mates to round off the day’s training that also got all the national team’s technical team involved.
It was indeed a hectic endurance exercise that saw the few fans who came to watch the team’s training cheering the players for their doggedness.
After the training, Keshi was asked how he would ensure that he takes the foreign professionals who are coming from very cold weather through the same process.
His refrain was simple: “We’ll try to see that all the players sweat it with us once or twice before we travel out on Monday night for the game because we need only fit players for the match and anyone who can’t do what those in camp are doing may have to seat it out on the bench.”
Keshi expressed confidence in the professionalism of those he has invited from Europe , saying that they can adjust to any weather condition under few hours.
“This same Rwandans were beaten by Benin Republic 3-0, Ivory Coast also roasted them 5-0 under similar climatic conditions. So we are battle ready, though we will never underrate our opposition, because there are no small teams again in Africa.”