Watford manager Claudio Ranieri has hinted that Emmanuel Dennis may not be going to the African Cup of Nations due to a discrepancy in the timing of Nigeria’s announcement of his selection.
Dennis is expected to depart for the tournament after the game against Tottenham on New Year’s Day, but Ranieri suggested that there may be a chance that they can keep him at Vicarage Road instead.
The actual issue with the dates is currently not exactly clear, but it is thought to centre around the deadlines for which players can be called up by their national teams.
And speaking after Watford’s 4-1 home loss to West Ham, where Dennis netted his eight league goal of the season, the Italian coach said he would explain further in the due course.
“I’m not so sure I will miss Dennis now. I don’t know if he goes to the national team. We have to wait. We have to wait,” Ranieri was quoted in Watford Observer.
When reminded that Dennis has been selected for Nigeria, and if there is a reason he won’t go Ranieri replied:“Yes, let’s think about this week and then I’ll tell you.”
And asked to expand on the Dennis situation:“Look, I know, it did not arrived at the right moment, we have to wait very well. The national team has time to send the pre-calls [call ups], they don’t respect the days and I want to see very well.”
At the least Dennis is expected to Watford games against Norwich, Leicester City and Newcastle United.
20 Comments
Nff shiuld report him to fifa
NFF should report itself to FIFA for not respecting the call up deadline.
You don’t want to keep an unhappy player in your team. The lad wants to be in the nation cup. If Watford doesn’t release him, his goal will dry up.
That is the big mistake the guy making.
Dennis is a player with pedigree……….a player that got a British work permit without even getting 3 caps for his national team……A player that club will fight to hold unto…….Not a player that him and his club are hiding his injury for him to be in the Afcon because his only highlight is his national team call ups……..As a real talented football player your club career should promote the national team not the national team promoting your club career……some SE players use the national team to sustain their club careers…… without SE they won’t even be heard of again…….they never make any headlines except when they are called up to the national team…….With all the national team caps they have gathered through the years they still play in mushroom leagues……This practice should stop because the national team is no players birth right.
Lol
Shehu Abdulahi left the group
Oga you are not making sense atall! Anyway am not surprised cos most of you from the “Let us Fail With Our Own” camp are always not making sense… LMAO!!! Everybody here is coming up with contribution and suggestions on how Dennis will be released for national duty, you are here wailing…
@Monkeypost or whatever your name is shey na u come dey make sense ? At least six to seven super eagles players have no business in that team. And of a truth Shehu or whatever is name is, obviously is hiding injury. If not that the quota system favors him, Shehu has no business in the super eagles. How can Shehu be picked ahead of Ebuehi and Akpoguma? Even Omerou also should never come near super eagles bench if not for corruption. All these players i listed last night has no business in the super eagles and I’m going to repeat their names below ; Omerou,Shehu,Musa,Ighalo,John Noble,Akpeyi,Ndah and Collins.
“You guys own” (Eguavon) and the NFF should be held responsible if Watford fail to release Dennis. They had time to release the names much earlier so as to give clubs time to really adjust when they are gone but I guess they were using that time to share the fat brown envelope. LMAO!! Now we can see the repercussions… No wahala! We sitdon dey look
My own is you people from the “Let Us Fail With Our Own” Social Club should try not to be going OP. Look at the thread. Is it about Musa or Ighalo?
After this edition of AFCON. The next edition should be played in June. Let us tell ourselves the truth clubs are paying their wages even though National team is Important but the timing in January is affecting teams.
Oga it’s like u r new lt was scheduled to hold last June but because of covid it was postponed till Jan,this corrupt NFF by next year your time will be up this is d most corrupt NFF I ve ever withnessed so full of deception Amaju is asking Mourinho to become SE coach how possible is that when we can’t even pay Rohr monthly,imagine the players they dropped since December balogun has not picked a ball,ekong disaster omeruo a shadow of himself,shehu minus one,them our football is going down back to where it belongs
Abeg coach Raineri dey calm down o nobi Nigeria be your cause of misfortune o wey u won come dey transfer your aggression to. Go get quality midfielders and defenders and stop make your team stop making strikers labor in vain.
If it’s true that Dennis will miss AFCON because NFF failed to meet FIFA’s call-up deadline, then the entire Glasshouse should be probed. That’s arrant negligence, incompetence of the highest order. What? When are we really going to learn in this country? When? Nigeria reeks with impossible people in high places.
This set of individuals almost bungled our chance of going to the WC in Russia by one very stupid error of not knowing that Sheu Abdullahi was not eligible to play against Algeria in our last qualifying round. Three points chopped off, with a deficit of 3 goals. Imagine a situation where we were ahead of Zambia just by a point or two, that’s how the hard work of our players throughout the series would be thrown through the window just like that.
It’s funny they are looking for a “competent foreign coach.” They should as well look for a competent foreign chairman, a competent foreign secretary , a competent foreign Technical Director and even a competent foreign media man.
I’m of the opinion that when Pinnick’s term is over, government should look for a very sound, competent administrator with very sound predigree, intehrity, connection and skill and surreptitiously push for his candidacy. They can set up a committee to do the scouting and it should be without fear or favour. No candidate supported by Pinnick should be allowed anywhere the glasshouse. It will be a contnuation of Pinnick’s nonsense. Honestly, I’m totally pissed.
Hmmmm.
We are not really planning to win this AFCON.
Funny screnario.
NFF ONIGBESE = PROBLEM.
This gets me LOL any time i read you write it @POMPEI
Hahahaahahahahahahaha
Honestly they are our major problem.
And how the sorry bunch contrived to invite ONYEKURU, AJAYI and OLAYINKA ahead of LOOKMAN, AKPOGUMA and DESSERS beggars belief!
I thought FATE threw up a golden opportunity for THEM and EGUAVOEN (that’s if he’s truly in charge. I doubt though) to do the right thing with the spate of withdrawals. Alas, their true colour betrayed them yet as they didnt disappoint as usual.
One good thing about SE though is they can still wobble and fumble into BRONZE medals places if they get their acts right.
Here’s what FIFA rules concerning the notice period for player release say:
”8. The clubs and associations concerned may agree a longer period of release or
different arrangements with regard to paragraph 7 above.
9.
Players complying with a call-up from their association under the terms of this
article shall resume duty with their clubs no later than 24 hours after the end
of the period for which they had to be released. This period shall be extended
to 48 hours if the representative teams’ activities concerned took place in a
different confederation to the one in which the player’s club is registered.
Clubs shall be informed in writing of a player’s outbound and return schedule
ten days before the start of the release period. Associations shall ensure that
players are able to return to their clubs on time after the match.”
I am 100% with you on that list @GARRE
Any honest and reasonable individual who doesnt think something is wrong having those LISTED up there in SE 2021’AFCON final list at the expense of OLORUNLEKE, ADELEYE, AKPOGUMA, EBUEHI (thank God he’s here now), Bassey, Izuchukwu, DESSERS and LOOKMAN ADEMOLA needs to go for CONFRSSIONS and plead for FORGIVENESS
Lol
Dennis was injured today. We don’t even want him now. We won’t need him for the World Cup qualifiers. By turning his back on his father’s land, the god of soccer is angry
with him and his Club. His punishments from now on, will likely be, his profile may start to dwindle while Watford Club shall go back to where it came from. Division 2. Any player who disrespects his father’s land shall not attain his full potentials.