I did not invite Uche brothers: Keshi

SUPER Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi, said Tuesday dismissed reports indicating that a hasty initiation was fired to the Uche brothers, Ikechukwu and Kalu, for Wednesday make-or-mar encounter with South Africa.
Nigeria was stunned by visiting Congolese national team which handed Nigeria’s Super Eagles a 3-2, leaving Nigeria’s qualification for the Morocco 2015 Nations Cup in a precarious state.
Nigeria must pull at least a draw with South Africa, which it meets in Cape Town on Wednesday to retain a fighting chance of qualifying for the Africa’ flagship football tournament.
The alleged invitation of the Uche brothers in other to bolster the Nigerian team that was at best lackluster and ordinary on Saturday was widely reported in Nigeria media.
But keshi, who did not travel with his side to South Africa on Sunday, breezed into Cape Town Monday morning to link up with rest of the squad.
He made it clear that he never extended any invitation to new players, especially the Uche brothers for the game against Bafana Bafana.
While urging the Nigerian media to cross check facts properly before rushing to the press or the social media, the coach said, .
“I have heard it myself and I just laughed because those who should know that we have no time between our last game and the match against Bafana Bafana are the same people misleading Nigerians.
“These players are professional footballers and there are processes for invitation, you don’t just bump into them and say come and play, that is very unprofessional and I never did that”, he declared.
According to the coach, the game against Bafana Bafana is one that the Eagles must take like a World Cup final, instead of depending on any team to make it to the Nations Cup in Morocco next year.
“We are the champions of Africa and we must start showing that not only against Bafana Bafana but in all our remaining games.”
Goalkeeper Austin Ejide, Super eagles stand-in captain, vowed that the team would reach deep into its capacity in order to overcome the South Africa team.
“There are no easy games again, but we have our backs to the wall now and we must do what we have to do to move on in the chase to qualify for the Nations Cup,” Ejide said from the team’s hotel Southern Sun Hotel in Newlands, Cape Town.