Odemwinge Set To Return To S’Eagles …As Keshi Defends W/Cup List

Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi has said that forward Osaze Odemwingie has apologised for the outburst that has seen him frozen out of the national team, and that the striker could be recalled.
Odemwingie was left out of Nigeria’s 2013 African Nations Cup squad and let rip with a venomous tirade at Keshi, the NFF and past players.
But Keshi said last Monday that an apology from the Stoke striker has smoothened things over.
“He sent an apology to the NFF, to me and included all the other people who were mentioned,” Keshi told newsmen in Lagos yesterday.
“We have been talking and things are good.”
Keshi stopped short of revealing whether the striker or fellow striker Ike Uche would be in his provisional World Cup squad.
“Both Osaze and Uche have the same chance as every other player to be in the World Cup training camp.
“But even if they are invited, they would still have to prove during the camping that they deserve to be in the 23-man list,” he added.
Meanwhile, a senior official of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Chris Green, has revealed that Stephen Keshi will defend his 35-man provisional list for the World Cup next week.
Green who was the chairman of the NFF’s Technical Committee stated that Keshi will appear before his Committee to defend his choice of players included in the country’s provisional list for the 2014 World Cup taking place in Brazil.
He, however, assured that the Committee will not attempt to impose any player on the 52-year-old former coach of Togo and Mali.
“While we believe that only players that are playing well for their clubs should be invited because the World Cup is not a tea party, our job is a simple task.
“Keshi has the overall decision on who goes to Brazil and fits into his World Cup plan. He is going to defend his selection.”

Handball players in action during a national sports event in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, recently.