2013 Nations Cup: Contract clause stops Ameobi

…Team departs for Faro through Accra

Super Eagles will depart for Faro, Portugal today through Accra, Ghana, to begin the final phase of their camping for the Nations Cup, with Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, hinting that Newcastle’s striker, Shola Ameobi, has a contract clause that may exclude him from the Afcon Championship. Speaking at the weekly media parley in Abuja that preceded the team’s departure, Keshi declared that he spoke to the gangling striker on Christmas day and he told him that two years ago, he signed a clause in his contract that says he cannot go to the Nations Cup without the Manager’s permission.

“And to make matters worse, Newcastle fears that Demba Ba, will be leaving the club by the January window and it needs a strong strike force and with Ameobi being its most experienced player in that area we may lose him. But he has said he would talk to me on the Boxing Day and after that  I will let Nigerians know what the position is, because he wants to thrash out the issue with his Manager, Alan Pardew”. The Super Eagles will have their last training session at the Abuja National Stadium training pitch today before departing for Portugal,in the evening.

All players, who will not be making the trip to Portugal, will be decamped same day. And Keshi took time off to pay homage to the determination and commitment of the home-based professionals during training. “It’s a shame that we can’t take all of them to Faro, but what they have done here shows that they are true professionals and I know when we return they will be part of the set up for the next round of qualifiers in the national team”.