.As 5 Home-Based Are Sent Packing –
Chief Coach of the national U-23 Men’s football team, Dream Team VI, Samson Siasia has invited Arsenal’s teenage sensation Alex Iwobi and 8 other foreign-based professional players for the crucial first leg All Africa Games qualifying game against Gabon in Libreville.
A statement by the Media Officer of the team, Timi Ebikagboro quotes Coach Siasia as saying that the invited foreign-based players were selected from the players who came for the screening exercise earlier in December and November.
The invited foreign-based players are Gero Salisu Abdullahi, Iwobi Alexander Chuka, Atanda Sodiq Oluwole, Oshobe Oladele, Salisu Sadiq Popoola, Ezekiel Imoh, Paul Onwachi Ebere, Aminu Umar and Japheth Okirie.
He added that players such as Imoh Ezekiel of Standard de Liege of Belgium and Japheth Okirie of Hadley FC, England were selected based on their club performance.
Eyeonthesports.com gathered that Coach Siasia has dropped five home-based players due to the fact that they could not meet up with the standard of the team, but assured them that if they improve on their game, they stand a chance of being recalled.
“For now we are expected to go to Gabon with 18 players, so only the best will make this team, there will be no automatic shirt for any body, as both the home-based and their foreign-based counterparts will have to battle for the 18 slots”, Siasia added.
“We have released all the home-based players whose clubs are involved in continental games this weekend, but they should all be back in camp by Monday, when hopefully all the foreign-based players invited would have reported to camp, then we will raise the stake”.
The home-based players dropped are goalkeeper Isah Mas’ud, Effiong Emmanuel Etim, Godwin Odibo, Adetunji Sunday, and Yahaya Adamu.