Mutiu Adepoju Reacts After Sunday Oliseh Alleged Super Eagles Ganged Up Against Rashidi Yekini at USA ’94

Mutiu Adepoju Reacts After Sunday Oliseh Alleged Super Eagles Ganged Up Against Rashidi Yekini at USA ’94

Babajide Orevba
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:05 PM
  • Sunday Oliseh’s book ‘Audacity to Refuse’ has continued to generate lots of controversies since it was published last year
  • Mutiu Adepoju has responded to comments that there was a gang-up against Rashidi Yekini at the 1994 World Cup in the USA
  • According to ‘The Headmaster’, for Rashidi Yekini to score Nigeria’s first-ever goal at the World Cup gave him joy

The ‘Audacity to Refuse’ book by Super Eagles legend Sunday Oliseh has continued to generate controversies after it was published on April 10, 2021.

The book traces Oliseh's untold insider story from being a young footballer in Nigeria to starring in some of Europe’s greatest clubs.

It shares the former Juventus of Italy midfielder’s rise to worldwide fame while dealing with innumerable trials and tribulations.

Mutiu Adepoju, Super Eagles, Sunday Oliseh
Sunday Oliseh's book 'Audacity to Refuse' has generated so much controversy. Photo: VI Images
Source: Getty Images

Nigerian outlet Thisday reports that Oliseh had alleged in the book that there was a gang-up by senior members of the Eagles against Yekini before the World Cup.

The late Rashidi Yekini remains Nigeria’s all-time record scorer having scored 37 goals for the national team in 62 appearances.

And in an exclusive chat with Soccernet last year, Mutiu Adepoju disclosed that he was happy for Yekini who scored Nigeria’s first-ever goal at the global showpiece against Bulgaria in 1994.

Yekini had earlier scored five goals at the AFCON tournament earlier in the year and was named the player of the tournament and it was alleged that players were unhappy that he failed to share the money he received from winning the award.

But Mutiu Adepoju debunked claims that there was a gang-up against Yekini, saying he could not recall if there was any.

He told Soccernet:

“I cannot remember. I don’t know if there was any gang-up against Rashidi Yekini. Besides, Yekini was very close to me back then, and I don’t know if situations of that nature arise.
“Listen, you are going to the World Cup for the first time, and your team scored the first goal, what do you go to the World Cup to do, of course, to go and win, no matter who scored.
“So why will the players not be happy? Well, I don’t know about the mind of anybody, I only know about my mind.
“And I cannot talk to anybody. I cannot confirm Oliseh’s revelation because I can’t remember. It is something of about 27 years.”

Oliseh showers praise on Rashidi Yekini

Meanwhile, Sports Brief earlier reported that former Super Eagles midfielder Sunday Oliseh has stated that no other Nigerian striker can come close to Rashidi Yekini when it comes to goal scoring.

Yekini who passed away on May 4, 2012, at the age of 48 remains Nigeria’s all-time record goalscorer having 37 goals in 62 matches for Nigeria’s national team.

The late legend played for Nigeria’s senior team between 1984 and 1998 and Oliseh joined the team in 1993 before hanging his international boots in 2002.

Authors
Babajide Orevba photo
Babajide Orevba
Babajide Orevba is a CAF accredited Nigerian journalist and HOD of the Local Desk with over 10 years of experience in media landscape.He studied NCE Political Science/Social Studies, AOCOED.
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