Beijing 2008: Siasia slams door on Taiwo
• As family exonerates self from player’s attitude
By Femi Solaja, 08.05.2008

Nigeria’s Dream Team IV quest to attain the gold medal feat of the Nwankwo Kanu led Atlanta ’96 squad has suffered a major blow flowing confirmation that Super Eagles left back, Taye Taiwo will not be part of the country’s team to the Olympics which will officially start on Friday.





While the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is threatening to take Olympique Marseille to FIFA for not releasing the Nigerian power player who fell within the age bracket of the Olympic football event, Coach Samson Siasia and other members of the technical crew have dropped the player for lack of commitment to the team’s aspiration to win in Beijing.

THISDAYSports checks at the team’s camp in Beijing, China yesterday revealed that Coach Siasia is furious with the player for not exercising the type of patriotism other players faced with similar situations have exhibited.

Our reliable source at the camp who would not want to be quoted on the matter insisted last night that the door has finally been slammed on the player who was an integral part of Siasia’s Under-20 silver winning squad in Holland three years ago.

“As far as coach Siasia is concerned, Taye Taiwo is no longer part of his plan for this Olympics because the player himself as not demonstrated commitment to the team in spite of persistent effort to reach him. Also, he has not shown seriousness on how to harmonise plans for travelling arrangement to Beijing.

“Only God knows what happened along the line because coach Siasia has always seen Taiwo as one of the stalwarts especially on the thorny part of qualification to the games, but things have changed suddenly when he stopped communicating with us and several calls to all his known numbers will never go through.

“Even attempts late Sunday proved abortive because contacts with his brothers in Lagos and wife in Europe did not yield any dividend. They will always tell us they will relay the message to him.

“As things stand now, the coach has made up his mind to drop him and look towards the alternatives in that position. One thing that is baffling us here is why Taye refused to emulate Argentina’s Lionel Messi who publicly embraced his country even when Barcelona was still insisting on not releasing him.

“If tomorrow the young Messi runs into problem with the club, the whole of Argentina populace will rise in his defence due to his commitment to the cause of Argentina.

“We wish Taiwo well because we are aware that aside attitude of the his club, he is also entangled in possible transfer to Manchester City this summer but when the need to attain the 75% national team duty requirement by British Home Office to get him work permit, players like him will be looking up to NFF to come to his aid. We are waiting till then,” revealed the top administrative staff to the team on telephone chat with THISDAYSports last night.

Nigeria is billed to meet Holland on Thursday in Tajian, about four hours flight from Beijing. Interestingly, if the Super Eagles defender were to play in that match, it would have reunited him with some members of the then Dutch Under-20 side that lost on penalties to the Flying Eagles at the at the quarter final stage of the Holland 2005 World Youth Championship.

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/aug/5/204.html

I think something is wrong with SiaSia or is it tribalism? How can he drop the current best left back in Africa from his team? Taye Taiwo is the most important player in that team. Who can replace him? What is this about his family talking nonsense. ABSOLUTE RUBBISH.

to be continued here : https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-157226.0.html