The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has decried the viral news that it has sacked and barred former Super Eagles internationals, now assistant coaches Finidi George and Ike Shorunmu from being in the national team camp.
Npfludates reported earlier that Enyimba coach, Finidi George and counterpart Ike Shorunmu has been barred from the Super Eagles camp.
The Super Eagles are camping in Abuja ahead of their AFCON qualifier matches against the Djurtus of Guinea-Bissau.
The NFF has come out to rebuff claims they sacked the two former internationals. According to the NFF, assistant coaches are being rotated.
We’ve not sacked Finidi and Shorunmu:
“As part of cost-cutting measures instituted at the begining of the new administration, we established a rotation policy among the assistant coaches. Based on higher number which was agreed with them,” an NFF official statement read in part.
Read also:Â Finidi George, Shorunmu Barred From Eagles Camp
“The last time that the team had a programme. Mr. Finidi George was the person who travelled for the friendly in Portugal. This rotation policy is only for matches. But, when there is a tournament, all of them will be with the team.
“He knew at that time that the next trip would be that of Mr. Usman Abdallah. Abdallah is simply taking his turn to be in the camp for the program of Super Eagles vs Djurtus of Guinea-Bissau. Mr. George will be around for the next program.”
And on the case of goalkeeper Coach Ike Shorunmu, NFF revealed the former international showed lack of desire.
“The case of the goalkeeper trainer, Ike Shorunmu is somewhat peculiar. Because the former Nigeria goalkeeper showed a clear lack of desire to be in camp for the matches against Guinea-Bissau.”
On the contrary, Mr. Shorunmu said someone from the NFF had called him to notify him of his exemption.
“Finidi called me on Sunday morning asking me if I got a message from the NFF, and I told him I didn’t get any message from them,” Shorunmu told The PUNCH.
“However, on Sunday afternoon, someone called me from NFF to also inform me that the top officials of the NFF want to inform me that Peseiro doesn’t want to work with me but with the U-20 Goalkeeper coach.”
