 |
| Shola Ameobi |
Newcastle
United striker Shola Ameobi will not
be going to the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria, according to his manager Alan Pardew.
The former England under-21 international
had been named by coach Stephen Keshi in his provisional squad. But
Pardew has ruled out the
31-year-old's appearance at the tournament, which kicks off on 19 January.
"Shola won't be going. The national team
manager knows the reasons, which I am keeping to myself”.
Ameobi was born
in Zaria, northern Nigeria, before moving to England with his parents at the
age of five.
Under Fifa rules, players who have
represented one country at junior level can play for another at senior level if
they meet the qualifying criteria.
Ameobi was first
called-up by the Super Eagles 10 years ago but turned down the invitation on
the grounds that his heart was set on playing for England. He was cleared by
Fifa to play for the country of his birth last month together with Chelsea winger Victor Moses.
He made his debut in a 3-1 friendly
win over Venezuela last month, setting up the third goal in Miami, Florida.
Nigeria will take on African
champions Zambia, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso in Group C.
- BBC
No comments:
Post a Comment