“Odemwingie told me he does not want to play for Nigeria again” – Keshi

Stephen Keshi has said that West Brom striker, Osaze Odemwingie, does not want to play for the Super Eagles anymore.

“I spoke to Osaze before the Liberia game and he told me that he had decided not to play for Nigeria anymore,” Keshi told supersport.com.

Keshi, who has previously handle the Togolese and Malian national teams, revealed that the attacker made his decision, before he took over the Nigerian national team.

“Osaze told me that he has no problems with me as a person and that he took his decision even before I assumed position as national team coach,” he said. “He said he was unhappy at how he was treated in the past in the national team. He explained that prior to Nigeria’s participation at the 2010 Fifa World Cup, he played in all the qualifying games but was dropped at the finals.

“He said he was angry at the treatment meted out to him but did not discuss it with anyone. I told him that was not the best way to handle issues and that if he had already decided not to play for the national team, he should have opened up to me when I invited him to play.”

In his discussion with Odemwingie a week before Nigeria faced Liberia in Calabar in an African Cup of Nations qualifier, Keshi tried to convince him to have a change of mind.

“I told him that if the (Nigeria) coach (at the 2010 World Cup) benched him, he must have a reason for doing so and that things should have been handled differently,” the big boss said.

“I told him that he should have spoken up and let me know. The coach has a reason and you can’t play in every game.”

However, Keshi says he is ready to take the 31-year-old back into the squad, only if he is ready to return.

“I told him that he has to give me the room to work with him; for us to work together and if he does not like the way I work and the atmosphere in the camp, then he can decide to stop playing.

“Deciding that you don’t want to play for Nigeria because of what happened in the past is not the best.

“I understand his feelings. I think he might change his mind but I really don’t know. The ball is in his court,” Keshi concluded.

Odemwingie last played for Nigeria in a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Rwanda on February 29 in Kigali.