•Backs Code of Conduct for Eagles
•Says Nigeria is bigger than any player
•Insists on discipline in the team
Former Super Eagles striker, Victor Ikpeba, has blamed the Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi for the bonus row in Namibia even before the Segun Adeniyi Panel should round up their investigation on what caused the row and how such crisis can be prevented in future.
Ikpeba also threw his weight behind the yet to be introduced code of conduct for the Super Eagles.
The former African Footballer of the Year Award winner told reporters in Abuja at the weekend that the introduction of a code of conduct for the Super Eagles players could instill a measure of discipline and control in the team.
The player popularly known as "the Prince of Monaco", during his playing days in Monaco, France stated that in as much as his submissions are not intended to rundown anybody but the truth must be told.
"I am not against the code of conduct at all if that is what it will take to instill some discipline into the team. The players must realize that the Nation is bigger than any of them and is not proper for them to hold the Nation to ransom as they did in Namibia," he said.
Ikpeba took also a swipe at the Super Eagles Chief Coach, Stephen Keshi for allowing the case of the players' agitation to escalate. He blamed the Eagles gaffer for not handling the situation properly.
"If I was the coach I would have handled the matter differently. I would never have allowed the situation to get to the level that the players would hold the nation to ransom in Namibia. I would have made the players to first travel to Brazil for the Confederation cup and after then we can now revisit the case."
Despite the overwhelming results being achieved of late by Keshi, the Eagles Chief Coach has severally been tongue lashed by some of his former Eagles' teammates for one reason or the other. Recently during the Commissioning of the Nigeria Football Federation House, Keshi was told that he did not handled the crisis well. Now Ikpeba has followed suit by blaming Keshi for not convincing the players to shelve their protest and honour the Confederation Cup assignment and later resolve the matter.
Keshi, however, defended himself that he shouldn't be blamed for what happened because the players are not kids. They are grown ups that have kids too. He disclosed to Sportinglife that sometimes they hold meetings as regards their welfare which he can't intervene or stop.
