How captain Yobo almost flew
by Sammy Wejinya 06 September 2012, 07:05
Joseph Yobo has sensationally revealed that he almost quit the Nigerian national team following scathing criticism from fans over recent performances.
The Nigerian national team has posted underwhelming performances in recent years; the nadir being the team’s failure to book a ticket for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guniea.
Yobo described the situation as one of the saddest moments in his life as a professional footballer revealing that he almost reached a decision to call time on his international career.
“I thought about it last time that I wanted to quit. I don’t want to put myself in that situation because there is still a lot to look ahead to. We have the Nations Cup and the World Cup to look forward to, so we must start early, correct the mistakes from the past and see that they are not repeated this time,” Yobo told supersport.com.
The former Everton defender also voiced his sentiments about Nigeria’s upcoming 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Liberia.
Yobo is currently with the Nigerian team in Abuja as they prepare to jet off to Monrovia for Saturday’s first leg final round qualifier against Liberia’s Lone Star.
“I don’t even want to think about the prospect of Nigeria failing to qualify for the 2013 Afcon but we must treat Liberia with respect because there are no more minnows in African football.
“We have to go out there, approach the game in the right manner and try to beat them,” he said.
Nigeria will meet the Liberians in the first leg in Monrovia on Saturday before playing host to the Lone Star in the second leg on the weekend of October 12 and 14 in Nigeria.
The Fenerbahce strong man believes the Liberians pose a serious threat to Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the 2013 Afcon and is urging his teammates to approach the game like a Cup final.
