Yakubu not going to African championship

Middlesbrough striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu has confirmed he will not be playing for Nigeria in the African Cup of Nations.

The 23-year-old has a strained relationship with coach Augustine Eguavoen and had threatened not to make him himself available for the tournament in January.

Yakubu told the club’s official website, www.mfc.co.uk: “I have called the Nigerian Football Federation and told them that I am not going to go.

“Unfortunately, I do not have a good relationship with our national coach, Augustine Eguavoen. We are not on good terms, so I think it is best that I don’t go.

“He is not happy with me and I am not happy with him. It was a big decision for me but I have made the right one.”

Yakubu, who joined Boro for £7.5m (€11.1m) from Portsmouth in the summer, is the club’s top scorer with 11 goals this season.