NFF Set To Get Rid Of Unpatriotic Players In Eagles

Chris Green, chairman of technical committee of the Nigeria Football Federation NFF, says the days of unpatriotic foreign based players holding the country to ransom will soon be over.

While speaking with P.M. Sports on the performance of the local players during the international friendly match where the home-based Eagles showed zeal and sublime display against a more established Angolan side, who are heading for the Africa Cup of Nations, Green said that the era where the foreign based players would hold the NFF and football loving Nigerians to ransom with their attitude towards honouring national invitation and lackadaisical performance when playing for the Super Eagles will soon be over.

He revealed that the plan of the NFF is to wield out all the unpatriotic players from the national team, adding that the performance of the local players has shown that the plan is in progress.

“ All the players that have bluffed us in the past because they play for big clubs in Europe they carry their shoulders high. In fact, these players do not have the hunger to play for Nigeria again. So, when they play, their output is nothing to compare with the players in the national teams of Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon and Senegal that wants to die for their country,” Green said.

He added that: “Now we have started a deliberate plan to check the excesses of these foreign based players. It is a gradual process from the goalkeeping to the attack, only those players who are ready to die for this country on the pitch with their dedication will be invited to the national team henceforth. I keep saying one thing that if there is one thing the NFF will continue to do, it is the will to do the right thing.”

He further informed that most of the players in the Super Eagles are already aging, which has affected their stamina to play effectively for 90 minutes, adding that the only solution is to have programme that will allow the younger players to take over smoothly from the tired legs.

“Our team is aging and the only way to solve this problem is for us to begin to introduce the younger players into the team. Nigerians must be patience with the NFF and the technical crew of the team. We must be patience. Victory does not come over night but through hard work, perseverance and patience. It is only when we get these attributes that we will be able to have a formidable team,” Green said.

—Francis Achi/Abuja