“Don’t joke with him”- Sunday Oliseh on Taribo West and how he almost got into a fight with Jay Jay Okocha

Former Juventus midfielder Sunday Oliseh spoke in a current chat with the Special Delivery podcast hosted by Emmanuel Babayaro, ex-Eagles goalkeeper, and Matthew Edafe.

The 47-year-old former Eagles coach and midfielder performed alongside Okocha for 9 years throughout completely different age-grade groups of the Nigerian nationwide set-up.

They had been a part of the Nigerian U-23 group that gained gold medal within the soccer occasion on the Atlanta ’96 Olympics. They had been additionally members of the Eagles aspect that gained the 1994 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Tunisia.

Former Tremendous Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh has mentioned that Taribo West nearly bought right into a struggle with Austin Jay-Jay Okocha whereas enjoying for Nigeria.

Oliseh, Okocha and Taribo had been worldwide teammates for over seven years, having fun with success with the Tremendous Eagles.

The three had been a part of the Nigerian group that gained Africa’s first gold medal within the soccer occasion of the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.

Oliseh and Okocha had been additionally a part of Nigeria’s golden technology that gained the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and reached the second spherical of the 1994 World Cup on their debut.

Nonetheless, regardless of the success they’d collectively, Oliseh revealed Tremendous Eagles gamers discovered it tough to play with Okocha.

Okocha was arguably essentially the most proficient participant within the squad and was one of many followers’ favourites. The ex-Bolton man was recognized for his mastery, abilities and trickery on the ball, which endeared him to followers.

However Oliseh revealed Tremendous Eagles teammates, particularly defensive gamers, discovered Okocha’s abilities typically too extreme, which just about bought him into bother with Taribo.

“With Jayjay, most individuals would say he was a tough participant to play with, as teammates, as defensive gamers,”

“However I personally had a method, an understanding with Jayjay that made it straightforward for me to play with him.

Oliseh added that Okocha’s penchant to at all times dribble nearly put him into bother with Taribo, however he needed to calm the ex-Inter Milan defender down.

“There was one specific recreation, I will share a narrative with you. We had been enjoying, and Jay-Jay was doing his regular factor, and Nigerian followers had been going loopy.

“In our group, as a lot as we disagreed, each participant was a king of their place. We had match winners – a lot of the gamers might win video games, but when somebody did one thing unhealthy within the group, the defenders at all times inform me, ‘Sunday inform am o’.

“They knew I used to be the one one who might say to Jay-Jay that ‘my man, launch the ball and Jayjay would launch.

There was one specific recreation, he was doing it, and we misplaced the ball. And the ball was coming, and Taribo was going loopy about him. And he misplaced the ball another time, and I advised him, ‘hey, my man, I am uninterested in working.

“And the subsequent time, he went on dribbling and misplaced the ball. I left the person. I let the opponent cross, they usually nearly scored. Taribo went loopy, he crossed forward of me, and I needed to seize him. Do not joke with Taribo. He needs to win.

He is fanatical about successful,” Oliseh concluded.

However regardless of the difficulty, the trio performed collectively till 2002, when Oliseh retired from the group in controversial circumstances.

Okocha, in the meantime, retired from worldwide soccer in 2006.