BEIJING // The Nigeria defender Taye Taiwo has been dropped from the country's Olympic squad just days before the start of competition in Beijing. The Marseille full-back has been the subject of an ongoing tug-of-war between club and country and, despite the world governing body Fifa ruling last week that clubs must release players under the age of 23, the Ligue 1 side have failed to comply. Marseille had refused to release Taiwo after previously stating they consider the full-back to be too old.
That decision came despite the French club listing Taiwo's birth date as April 16, 1985, on their official website, meaning he is 23 and falls under the Fifa directive. The case was due to be resolved by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) today, however that hearing is now no longer required following the decision to drop Taiwo. The 'Dream Team' have been struggling to secure the release of several of their top players, including the Hapoel Tel Aviv goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama and the Getafe forward Ike Uche.
In both cases Nigeria decided not to pursue the matter further because the pair were due to be named as two of three over-age players. "Taye Taiwo's name has been dropped from the team due his club's refusal to release him and we have replaced him with Yinka Adedeji," the assistant coach Henry Nwosu told Nigeria's Daily Sun newspaper. "We are tired of the club playing pranks and we don't want anything that will derail us."
To add further confusion to the matter the decision to drop Taiwo came just hours after the Marseille chairman Pape Diouf promised to release the defender should the CAS panel have ruled he was eligible to appear at the Games. "For us, Taiwo is over 23 and does not form part of the players concerned with Fifa's injunction," Diouf told French newspaper L'Equipe. "CAS will rule on the problem on Tuesday and we will conform to its conclusions. If the decision favours the Nigerian federation, Taiwo will go to the Olympics. If they say the opposite, he will not go."
Despite that it seems the Nigeria coaching staff had run out of patience with the situation, instead calling up the Shooting Stars midfielder Yinka Adedeji. Nwosu questioned the commitment of some of Nigeria's senior players, saying he was 'disappointed by the level of patriotism' shown. "I don't think they are serious to play in the Olympic Games," he continued. "Their silence alone speaks volumes that they are more committed to play for their clubs than playing for Nigeria for reasons that are beyond my explanation.
"All the countries here came with their best and most experienced players. We wanted the same for our country and that was why we invited some of these boys but it is a pity they chose not to come. "There is nothing we can do about it than to make do with what we have. I am highly disappointed by their level of patriotism." Nwosu added that he had full confidence that team could go on and emulate the 'class of 96' by claiming the gold medal.
"I have faith in the players we have in camp and I am confident that they also have what it takes to rise to the big occasion," he said. *PA