Yobo remains Eagles captain, insists Keshi

JULY 18, 2013 

Joseph Yobo

Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, has said that Fernabahce of Turkey defender, Joseph Yobo, remains the national team captain, even though the player has been left out of the national team since Nigeria won the African cup in February.

Keshi who spoke at the team’s camp in Abuja on Wednesday, said he had a lot of respect for Yobo because of what he has done for the nation. But despite Keshi assurance that Yobo remains the captain, the defender was left out of the 20-man list of players called up for the Mandela Challenge next month.

On Wednesday Keshi said, “It will not be fair to invite Yobo to the national team and ask him to be on the bench, it will be a huge disgrace and I won’t be part of that. When the team needs him he will be recalled and will definitely start as captain even if along the line, we substitute him.”

He then underlined the condition for Yobo to make a return to the team.

 “For the captain of the team, he has to work extra hard to remain so because he is leader of the team and that has been the philosophy of the team since we took over because that was the way we were brought up to captain the national team.”