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Former Ivory Coast midfielder, Yaya Toure, has criticised Super Eagles and Watford striker, Emmanuel Dennis, for ‘playing for himself’ and failing to join other players in taking the knee against racism when the Hornets lost 2-3 to Arsenal at the Vicarage Road Stadium on Sunday
Toure is not impressed with the Nigeria forward’s performance in the match he played the entire duration, reasoning that as the club’s top scorer, should have played a lot better.
He also frowns at Dennis’ seemingly act of dissent prior to kickoff when the players on the pitch performed their routine taking the knee, in solidarity to their collective campaign against all forms of racism, a pre-kickoff ritual that Premier League players have been performing since June 2020. Every player is usually expected to kneel on one knee to perform the pre-kickoff ritual, but Dennis refrained from it on Sunday.
“Dennis is the top scorer [of Watford] and he looks very much the player who can hurt Arsenal, but he appears to be playing for himself,” Toure remarked during an interview with Premier League Productions.
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“He does not put in enough work without the ball, and even during kickoff, he did not take the knee with the rest of the team. He can do more for the team.”
Nigeria coach, Austine Eguavoen, has included Dennis in the Super Eagles’ 32-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers final play-off round against Ghana later this month.
By Toju Sote
17 Comments
This Dennis guy is just so full of himself and is really a negative PR for his career! Talent is not enough..
Since they started taking a knew had racism stopped? Recently even in war situation where people are suppose to show humanity… Ukrainians still had to show to the world that Africans still have to take back seat and their lives ain’t still worth much… With their show of racism. We like to concern ourselves with all this ritual things of taking a knee yet nothing is changing… I won’t blame Dennis even Wilfred Zaha usually don’t do that stuff.
When you play for a club, and in a country as a professional you should be able to respect and abide by the clubs/country decision to have all players take a knee in protest against racism.. it is non of your business whether it has been able to stop.. just be respectful and humble
No wonder GENERAL ROAH and other coaches had issues with him because of indiscipline.
And Thank God you mentioned Zaha..
Cos who is he? Even Ronaldo once took a knee..
He has his own mind. He doesn’t have to do it.
Since they have been taking a bow, has it solve racism.
Thumbs up @ Jimmyball. We Africans are too good at chasing shadows n especially Nigerians. Denise should ignore these comments, be his own honest judge and just crack on with his job. I truly love his confidence; an overflow of supreme talent.
Taking a knee is an agenda of the Cabals/elites/globalists to use racism to win in their new world order agenda, is all hypocricy. Nobody cares about black people.
Oh dee! What a facepalm.
Dennis is a bush idiot! He would not take a knee for the cause of Black people but bows his yam head to mourn the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. He must not be allowed to play for Nigeria for disrespect towards the Black race.
That’s to the extreme. Situation like that don’t call for push factor. It is possible Dennis was absent minded.
@ Ako AMADI. The likes of you who are quick to judge your compatriots without looking at the facts should be ashamed of yourselves. This pull down syndrome need to stop.Yaya Toure should be more concerned with Wilfred Saha attitude. Denise does not need the Super Eagles to excel. On the contrary, Nigeria needs him as proven in the just concluded nations Cup.
Not in support of hypocrisy and not also supporting indiscipline and lack of patriotism. For your unfounded justification while we failed in nations cup because Dennis did not play is a lie.
If I may ask since he decided to stay back from nations cup despite his inclusion in the final list to concentrate on club engagement, how many goals did he score for Watford during that period? How many has he scored after that? Tell this your Denis to be humble. Talents alone does not take you far. He should ask Etim Esin and Co how they ended up in career. He is not the only stubborn and talented player from Nigeria. Super eagles coaches should be mindful of his character so as not to bring indiscipline into the super eagles fold.
LMFAO!And where is Zaha? Still stuck at Crystal palace with his pride the same way Dennis’s pride will take him to the championship soon.(cos pride goes before fall) LMFAO!!
I mean am surprised you guys are supporting this bad trait..
This gesture has crossed into other sectors..
In music for instance, Eminem (a white rapper) took a knee during his super bowl performance…
First time I will support your view here, you have to abide by what the club ask you to do, Dennis for me is even below average, he need cool down.
One mans opinion…
By the way odion ighalo just scored the winning goal for his al-hilal against the league leaders al-ittihad.
This doesn’t mean I support his inclusion in the Super Eagles team, Saudi Arabian league isnt a strong league but atleast the guy is very active there and still scoring goals.
Well, toure is right in a sense, the guy has to much pride in him, he is not a team player, well na naija coach dey helms of affairs now, so he better check his Ego before coming to camp. Even his style of play for me isn’t it.
Yeye Toure, where have you been since Dennis joined Watford? or have you not been around since he has been banging in goals for Watford? That Dennis is the leading goal scorer for his club is not a fluke, a club where he started playing as a winger at the beginning of the season. He got elevated to the the striking role because of his performances which outclassed those of their top strikers. So Toure, if you could not praise him when he was scoring and doing well week after week then you have no right whatsoever to come and pick on him just because you feel he under performed in one match. Let us be sincere to ourselves here, Watford as a team does not have much problems upfront, their problems are majorly at the midfield and defence , so there is no magic in football, it is a team game, you did not perform at the same level week in week out throughout your career, no player does not even MESSI. So leave Dennis alone and face your Ivorian players. For everyone to know that you are not sincere in your criticism , Zaha started this refusal to take a knee at the EPL and he has been doing it right from the beginning of the exercise and you did not deem it fit to criticize Zaha or call for his exclusion from your National team but found it expedient to jump on Dennis who just started it. You be real APROKO, leave our players alone , go and face your Ivorian players.
Eguavoen is micro-managed by Pinnick , the Ministry of Sports and the Super Eagle’s sponsors. That will be the downfall of Nigeria if they believe a disruptive character and selfish player like Emmanuel Dennis wiil bring the World Cup qualification