Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, may be heading for a collision course with some Super Eagles players, a reliable source present in Kigali have revealed to Premium Times. 

The Big Boss, as Keshi is fondly referred to, did not hide his displeasure at the performance of some of the Eagles’ players particularly the foreign based and practically vent his anger in the dressing room during the half time pep talk.

“Most of his players expressed disapproval over the way he spoke with them at the interval of their game with Rwanda in Kigali on Wednesday” the source said.

Keshi, we gathered, dressed down the players after a very awful performance in the first half of the game that ended goalless. 

The coach was quoted as saying that players should quit the national team football if they were not ready to show commitment to the country.

The coach told the players, especially the foreign based professionals, that their game fell short of expectation and that he would not condone such performance from them. 

Expectedly the players frowned at the manner Keshi spoke with them at the half time interval noting that the coach forgot that they were adults and deserved some respect considering the fact that they were new to each other.    

Another player said that Keshi was too hard on them and they the players did not find it funny at all, stressing that he does not care about his pedigree as a player because he had trained under coaches who are better and who reciprocate respects irrespective of the outcome of a match.

Keshi’s response

Though Keshi  denied any  brewing problem in the Eagles camp or uproar in the dressing room, he however stated that he is fully in charge and would not condone inefficiency, ineptitude and lack of commitment from any player or official.

“I have told them to wake up or get booted out. We cannot allow anybody to treat the national team with disrespect. We want total commitment from any player we invite to camp and I also expect anybody wearing the green and white colour of Nigeria to be patriotic and committed,” he stated