Sacked Nigeria manager Augustine Eguaveon wasn’t forced to play Rangers’ Calvin Bassey
Former Nigeria manager Augustine Eguaveon has moved to deny rumours that he was forced to play Rangers full-back Calvin Bassey in World Cup qualifiers.
There had been accusations from some that the Nigerian FA had told Eguaveon to play both Bassey and Watford attacker Emmanuel Dennis for their crucial qualifier against Ghana which they ultimately lost on away goals.
The defeat sparked riots at the stadium after the game which eventually saw Eguaveon and his coaching staff sacked almost immediately.
The now jobless Eguaveon has moved to deny these rumours saying that Bassey had earned his start in the second leg because of his good performance as a substitute in the previous game.
“I’ve read the stories that I was ordered to play Bassey and Dennis by the Nigerian FA. It couldn’t be further from the truth”, he said, as quoted by the Daily Record.
“The truth is Calvin Bassey started because he did well in the first leg when he replaced Zaidu Sanusi. He deserved to start in the next game.
“The only people I discussed selections with were my backroom staff. They gave me their own selections too and I slept on it and made my decision on the day of the game.
“Calvin Bassey has been doing well at Rangers and Emmanuel Dennis has impressed at Watford. I stand by my decision to use both of them.”
Unnecessary distraction
With such a huge game to play tonight for Rangers, this is the last thing Bassey needs to be reading.
This evening’s Europa League clash away at Braga could be a season-defining one for Giovanni van Bronckhorst and his side so he will not want his starting left-back distracted by these latest comments.
Hopefully, the boss can keep Eguaveon’s comments away from the dressing room until after the game and then he can let Bassey do with them whatever he pleases.
If the Nigerian has already taken in his former coach’s words, then maybe the Dutchman will be tempted to leave him on the bench and back Borna Barisic instead.
It would be a massive gamble to take given how well Bassey has played on the left of the back four but if his head isn’t in the right place, it’s an even bigger risk to leave him in to be exposed.
In other Rangers news, Barry Bannan has revealed text messages Braga manager Carlos Carvalhal sent to him about the Gers.