Martins Insists He Did NOT Go AWOL!
Last updated : 21 June 2007 By Footy Mad - Editor
So much has been said about Newcastle's last game of the season when Martins was said to have gone AWOL when he was supposedly fit enough to play against Watford, but decided not to attend the stadium.
This week there was an assassination attempt, and suddenly when it seemed as though Martins was heading abroad, he has pledged his future to Newcastle United.
On Monday, the 22-year-old's Mercedes was sprayed with bullets as he drove home in Lagos after his country's 3-1 African Cup of Nations qualifying victory over Niger. While Martins was not injured, a close friend was shot.
There have been suggestions that either he will leave Tyneside this summer, a notion prompted when Martins declared himself unfit with a knee injury and was omitted from the squad for the 1-1 draw away to Watford on May 13.
Nigel Pearson, the then caretaker-manager, was furious and now the player has his say.
Martins: "I told the caretaker-manager that I had a problem with my knee and I couldn't travel with the team, but he insisted that I must fly to London and I did. But then they started saying I was not injured and I was trying to get out of the game.
"That really upset me and I decided not to go to the stadium. I did not disappear. I was in the team hotel all the time and it was only when I went out that people were telling me they heard I had disappeared.
"I signed a contract with Newcastle and I am happy here at the club and the way the fans supported me even when I wasn't scoring was great. If I am fully fit, there is no way I will back out from playing any game for Newcastle. But it would not be right for me to wear the shirt and play when I know that I will not be giving my best. That will be like cheating the fans. "