NFF technical director Austin Eguavoen has defended the absence of former Super Eagles defender Joseph Yobo from the international friendly game against Mexico on July 4.
Eguavoen said the 40-year-old former Everton centre back excused himself from the encounter in order to attend to family needs.
Yobo, who is the assistant coach of the main Super Eagles team, missed the country’s double-header friendlies against Cameroon earlier this month.
“When this opportunity came I know I engaged myself with Yobo on the phone like four days ago, for like forty-five minutes,” Eguavoen told the media.
“I said Yobo there’s a game coming up against Mexico so when are you coming and Yobo told me he wasn’t really aware but later he told me about the game and said honestly speaking maybe he will come.
“I said what is the maybe and said because he has got family things to deal with and I went to the GS to ask him if Yobo is on this trip or not because he’s supposed to step in if Gernot Rohr is not going.
“GS said yes Yobo is in the plan, he’ll go hopefully if he comes back but I told him Yobo told me that he’s having some family things to deal with so let’s leave it like that hopefully he’ll come through.”
Twenty-five players are already camping in Abuja ahead of the clash against Mexico at the Los Angeles Coliseum, but three will be dropped for the final 22-man squad.
