Sadiq Umar said he was unhappy with the debates and controversies over his invitation to the National team.
Some fans expressed displeasure over his inclusion in the Super Eagles for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Ghana .
Some quarters also alleged that, the player was in the squad, because of his connections and the region he comes from and nothing else.
And reacting to these claims, Sadiq revealed, he was saddend by some of things he heard, before dismissing all the claims.
“People say I am in the national team because I am from the north, I laugh because if I truly wanted to use my connections, I would have been in the national team long ago. I scored 4 goals at the Olympics in Brazil. That is not connection. I worked.”
“I am sad that Nigerians have turned the national team to tribal war. People support players’ based on their tribe. It breaks my heart. Even you guys in the media (pointing to me) have caused a lot of problems. When you like a player you praise him over the others. It is not good.” He told Nigerian journalist, Oma Akatugba.
The Almeria forward also addressed the talks about how the fans react to team selection.
Umar insisted that, players should be selected by their individual qualities and not by where they ply their trade.
“This is why I do not like anything media. Nigerians also believe those playing for bigger clubs must play ahead of others but it is not about club but what you bring to the team, he said.
Sadiq represented the Nigeria national under-23 team and was an important member of the squad that won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
After two successful seasons at partisan and a move to the rising Almeria, Sadiq received a call to the Nigerian national team called up for the 2022 African Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin and Lesotho on 27 and 30 March 2021 respectively.