Lawal disagrees with Uche axing

Stephen Keshi’s decision not to pick Villarreal striker Ikechukwu Uche for the Nigeria World Cup squad has been shot down by former Super Eagles midfielder Garba Lawal.

The reason for the players axing is based on what the Super Eagles coach termed, the player ‘lacks tactical discipline’.

Uche has scored 12 goals this season for Villarreal.

The last time he featured for Nigeria was in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations final in South Africa.

In a chat with Daily Trust, Lawal said he was dumbfounded when he heard that Keshi was not including Uche in his plans for the World Cup in Brazil.

Lawal believes that if Uche lacks tactical discipline then it is up to the coach to instil the necessary discipline that is required.

He added that even though Keshi was the one selecting his team for the World Cup, players like Uche and Osaze Odemwingie were needed in the squad in his opinion.

“I don’t believe in that talk about indiscipline. Indiscipline in this case contains so many things. If he lacks discipline, how come he scores twelve goals in the La Liga?

“I have been following this boy week in week out. He is doing fantastic, indiscipline as what? You are the coach, you are like his teacher. If you want you can change him. I am not in support of that decision,” he told Daily Trust.

He reiterated though that Keshi was the coach of the Super Eagles and had the final say as far as players’ selection is concerned.

“We as technical committee members can only advise him. Even the NFF is there to advise, he has been appointed and must be left to do his job,” he added.

 Daily Trust