UNTIL Tuesday, October 6, 2015, Vincent Enyeama was Super Eagles’ captain with the hope of adding more caps to the 101 he has garnered over the past 13 years.

But such a lofty ambition was truncated by events at the Belgium-base of the Super Eagles, where Nigeria set camp for yesterday’s international friendly against Congo DR and Sunday’s tie with Cameroun.

The sign of things to come started manifesting on Tuesday when Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh took away the captain’s band from Enyeama and handed it over to Ahmed Musa and subsequently ordered security operatives to eject Enyeama from the team’s hotel for ‘unruly behaviour.’

The situation seemed to have been calmed down by the intervention of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which allowed the former Enyimba captain to rejoin the team. However, Enyeama decided to retire from the national team yesterday, saying the past few days had been a very trying period for him.

Enyeama, who buried his mother on Saturday, wrote on his Instagram page:
“I have fought a good fight for more than 13 years. I have finished my course… I have kept the faith and sang the anthem with passion. Henceforth, there is laid for me a crown, which only God can reward me for my 13 years of national services.

“God bless Nigeria.
Henceforth, I am no more the captain of the Nigerian senior football team. I am no more the goalie of the team… I am out of the team…I am no more available for international duties… I want to say thank you to every Nigerian fan and supporter worldwide. It’s been the most trying period of my life but I know that Nigerians are there for me and God is with me. God bless Nigeria.#ENDOFANERA.”

Sad as the manner of Enyeama’s exit from a team he started leading in 2013 is, followers of the game knew that Oliseh had plans of shoving him out.

Among other things, Oliseh and some officials of the NFF accused Enyeama of planning to sabotage the Eagles’ qualification for the 2017 African Nations Cup citing his refusal to play for Nigeria against Tanzania in Oliseh’s first competitive game as Eagles’ coach.

Although Enyeama’s supporters say the Lille of France star, who lost his mother on the eve of the game, could not have made the match, Oliseh is said to be unhappy with the goalkeeper for not informing the NFF or his coach of the development.

They said his action would have cost the team badly if new goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme, had not risen to the occasion in Dar-es Salaam. The fact that Enyeama went back to France to keep for Lille on a league game shortly after the incident was seen as a sign that he did not wish the Eagles well.

A source close to the team told The Guardian, that “the coach expected Enyeama to come forward and explain why he missed Nigeria’s last match with Tanzania but reappeared in the French Ligue One donning the colours of Lille Metropole without any formal or informal message to his National team coaches.

“Enyeama was gradually becoming a soar grape in camp; he was turning out a very bad influence on other players and haded the team spirit.

“Enyeama it was in Namibia who instigated the ‘No pay No flight’ protest before the Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Enyeama it was in Brazil who led the revolt over the FIFA largesse the night before our second round match with France. It will also be recalled that the NFF almost banned Enyeama following comments he made regarding the choice of Kaduna for the Nations Cup qualifier with Chad.

All these are just a drop in the ocean when recounting the many atrocities of Enyeama,who like Oliseh during his playing days, is becoming an enfant terrible.”

The source said the incident would not have escalated the way it did had Enyeama not questioned Oliseh’s decision to strip him of the captaincy.
“He just gave some people the opportunity to abruptly push him out of the national team,” he added.

Before Enyeama decided to quit the team, Oliseh had explained that he decided to strip him of the captaincy because “I want a captain who is disciplined, a leader who can motivate other players, a player who comes to camp early. I want a young player not a retiring player as captain and Ahmed Musa is that player. He is my captain.”

He said in an interview published by the BBC that: “When you have a new government like our president just came in, he’s picked his ministers. And you have your philosophy and you have your way of working.

“As a coach, I have looked at the team and I have looked at Nigeria going forward. We need a captain who will think of staying with Nigeria for several years to come, who is regularly in the front. Ahmed Musa did a great job for us in Tanzania under very difficult circumstances. He is a very responsible player and he is the captain of the team. He is the captain of the team and there is no question of a tussle.”