Keshi Reveals Reason for for Sunday Mba’s Exclusion from Final List of World Cup Squad
Super Eagles’ Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, has given his reasons for excluding Sunday Mba from his final World Cup list on Monday, saying that the CA Bastia Midfielder was the cause of his own exemption.
In a statement on Fifa.com, Keshi sighted Mba’s nonchalant stance as the reason, saying the 25-year old didn’t express enough desire to be part of the 23-man squad going to Brazil.
“His lateness to camp contributed (to his missing out) but outside that he did not show the hunger, the fight, we expected from him”, the Super Eagles’ Boss said. “We had only two and half weeks to prepare for the World Cup and he was not giving us what we wanted. He was very relaxed and it was unlike him.”
Mba had in 2013 been instrumental in Nigeria’s victory at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in South Africa and his exclusion from the final squad list of players going to Brazil a shock to many.
Mba expressed his disappointment at his exclusion on Tuesday, saying on his Twitter page: “Gutted to not make the 23-man team to the World Cup. Really wanted to fight and sweat for the glory of the team and my beloved country.”
