Oliseh Explains Mikel's Exclusion

Nigeria head coach,Sunday Oliseh has taken time to explain the reason for excluding John Obi Mikel from the roster for the 2017 Afcon qualifier against Tanzania scheduled for next month.

He revealed that his attempts to get in touch with the Chelsea midfielder was fruitless hence he had to go ahead with his plan for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match.

But Oliseh also noted that he will not “pass judgment” on the Chelsea midfield player until he speaks to him.

He explained that Mikel’s Nigerian teammate at Chelsea, Victor Moses, had a fruitful discussion with him.

Moses, one of the high-profile Nigerian players excluded from the roster for the game against Tanzania, did reveal this week that he is undergoing treatment for “a small injury.”

“Till now I have not spoken to John Obi Mikel. I have contacted him on several occasions with no reply; sent him an SMS with no reply. I went to London where he plays with the same club with Victor Moses. Victor Moses honoured the meeting by coming and we spoke but he (Mikel) didn’t reply to me and eventually I asked Moses to say ‘hi’ to him for me.

“So no player is special. Every player is the same. We are not going to win games with one player, we will win with 11 players. But I can’t really pass judgment on a professional I have not spoken to,” Oliseh said.

Oliseh begins his tenure as Nigeria manager when they face Tanzania in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Dar es Salaam on September 5.

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