Taribo West, a former Super Eagles defender, on Monday implored the current generation of players to conduct themselves with decorum in the build-up to the forthcoming African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa.

The former Inter Milan FC defence ace made the remark during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

West told NAN that the recent tantrums generated by Osaze Odemwingie’s exclusion from Stephen Keshi’s provisional 32-man squad for the AFCON was uncalled for. The former defence strongman urged Keshi not to relent in the task of putting a formidable team in place for the January 19 to February 10 continental tournament.

West, who also had a stint with Auxerre FC of France, stressed that discipline was the only key to having a cohesive national team that everybody would be proud of.

 “We need our players to show more commitment to the team and Keshi is ensuring that they do just that because discipline is a key component for a formidable team. In recent times, the level of discipline in the team has been on the decline, but I am sure that with the way things are, our players will have to toe a new path.

“We don’t need any distraction from anybody; the players should act in accordance with what their coach expects from them and they will be glad they did,” West said.

When asked on how it was in his active football days, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics gold winner in football told NAN that their emphasis was purely on the game.