Following claims made by a member of the media department of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Ayo Olu Ibidapo on Maduka Okoye’s Super Eagles future and picked up by several media outlet. We hereby present the audio interview where the goalkepper trainer of the Super Eagles Ike Shorunmu made the claims about the new Watford goalkepper.
The first choice goalkepper of the senior national team of Nigeria Maduka Okoye has not opened a line of communication with the present technical crew of the Nigerian team led by Jose Peseiro, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Okoye hasn’t kept goal for Nigeria since the round of 16 exit at the Africa Cup of Nations where he was roundly blamed for the lone goal Tunisia scored which sent Nigeria packing from the tournament.
He skipped the subsequent World Cup qualifiers playoff claiming to have tested positive to Covid 19. Ghana edged Nigeria to the World Cup ticket by away goal rule after a 0-0 draw in Kumasi and 1-1 draw in Nigeria.
That result ended the interim reign of Austin Eguavoen as coach of the team with Jose Peseiro appointed as the new man in charge of the team. A new goalkepper trainer Ike Shorunmu was also appointed in place of Alloy Agu.
In an interview with Fresh FM, Shorunmu explained how they tried to get across to Okoye but to no avail. That it was through a friend of the goalkepper that they got to find out that he wants a break to focus on his new club Watford.
Till date they still haven’t had any form of contact with the goalkepper, who has already resumed pre season training with his new team in the English Championship. He is however in line to miss out on next set of call up for the September round of games.
“Well first he is still part of the team but then we called him during the end of the season , last season before we travel to America. That is for the two friends that we played in America. The secretary of the team told me they tried to reach him but they couldn’t get him”, he explained in an interview on Fresh FM.
” I collected the number from him. I called too, I couldn’t reach him but about three days after, the secretary of the team now told me he has got him through a friend on message. He now said to me that the guy now asked for him to be out of the team for now because he has made a move to a new club and wants to concentrate on his new club. I said okay no problem”, he concluded.