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Ogenyi Onazi Reveals How Mikel Obi And Joseph Yobo Ended Their Fight
Former Super Eagles midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi has confirmed that retired players of the team, Mikel Obi and Joseph Yobo, settled their fight before their quarter-final game in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Ogenyi Onazi played five games in the 2013 AFCON in South Africa as the then highly disappointing Super Eagles stunned most Nigerians to reach the final and win the title for the third time in the country’s history.
Recall that during the tournament, Onazi and his teammates managed to qualify from the group stage in which they drew against Burkina Faso and Zambia before they beat Ethiopia 2-0 in their last group game.
Due to this, most Nigerians wrote off the team especially after the Super Eagles were paired to play against the then star-studded Ivory Coast which had the deadly duo of Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba.
Interestingly, the late coach Stephen Keshi and his boys scaled through with a 2-1 win and went all the way to the final where they beat Burkina Faso 1-0 courtesy of Sunday Mba’s strike to win the title.
In an interview with Soccernet, Ogenyi Onazi said it was ahead of the quarter-final clash between Nigeria and Ivory Coast that Obi and Yobo reconciled their differences.
Yobo who was the captain and most Senior player on the team was not in the starting lineup for the game, hence, Obi stood in as the captain. Before the team stepped onto the pitch, the two players gave a speech each that motivated the discredited Super Eagles to knockout in-form Ivory Coast.
Ogenyi Onazi said, “Something interesting happened before the match against Ivory Coast.
“The Big Boss (Keshi) had a meeting with the team after our lunch and when he finished, Joseph Yobo, the captain, said we should all wait.
“He had been having this little issue with Mikel. So immediately, the coaching staff left, he took a swipe at Mikel immediately, saying, I know I have some issues with Mikel, but that’s okay. We have a very important game (against Ivory Coast) ahead of us and I know I am not starting this game, but I know you guys in there will do us proud.
“Yes, we must have these small fights, but it is to strengthen us and show us that we are strong as a team and I wish you guys all the best.
“You guys go out there and prove that we can beat these guys. It is good that we are the underdogs, and it’s better we are already written off by our country. We know that we have tickets already to go back to our country and clubs.”
According to Onazi, Obi responded, “Guys, yes, we will fight ourselves inside, but let’s fight our opponents outside.”
The forthcoming edition of the prestigious tournament is scheduled to commence on January 13 and end on February 11, 2024.
