Nigeria: Garba Lawal Angry at the Media Over Osaze

Daily Independent (Lagos)

Peter Edema

29 June 2011

Former Super Eagles midfielder, Garba Lawal, is angry over undue hype the media have given the crisis between Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia and the team’s striker, Osaze Odemwingie.

To him, this is not the first time Super Eagles coach will sanction a player in the team over indiscipline, saying the media have given undue attention to the crisis.

“This is not the first time a coach will sanction a player in the Eagles and I don’t know why you people are making a lot of noise now.

“In 2002, Coach Adegboye Onigbinde dropped George Finidi, Sunday Olisey, Tijani Babangida and host of others from the team and nobody raised an eye brow. Why is the press shouting about Osaze now?” asked Lawal.

” Osaze must be disciplined. He must respect his coach. If you are not disciplined and not ready to respect your coach, you have to accept any decision he takes because it is your fault.

He said the only path for any player who wants to succeed as a player was to be a disciplined person and must respect his coach if not any other person. The coach takes many decision that can will determine your fate, so there is no two way to it but for you to be disciplined,” he noted.

“To a great extent, a player determines his future. It is either you are disciplined or not.”

According to the former international, his allowances was never reviewed downward in his 13 years of professional footballing in Europe and that he never got a yellow card not to talk of being red carded.

Siasia it will be recalled dropped the players from the international friendly against Argentina and the 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia in Addis Ababa. While Eagles walloped Argentina 4-1, the team escaped defeat against Ethiopia with an 88th minute goal to snatch a 2-2 draw. Siasia’s action was a fall out of the player’s living the camp after a Nations Cup qualifier in Abuja without Siasia’s permission.

AllAfrica – All the Time