Newcastle boss bars footballer from national duty

London: Newcastle boss Alan Pardew insists his football club need striker Nigerian Shola Ameobi for the English Premier League and won't spare him for the January Africa Cup of Nations. The 31-year-old Ameobi had been named in Nigeria's provisional squad for the tournament in South Africa starting Jan 19, reports Xinhua.

"Shola won't be going to that, and the national team manager knows the reasons behind that, which I am going to keep to myself," said Pardew.

Ameobi, who once played for the England Under-21 side, scored the winning goal in Newcastle's 1-0 win over QPR on Saturday. He made his Nigeria debut in a 3-1 friendly win over Venezuela last month.