NFF Bans Local Eagles From Lowly Rated Leagues

In its bid to ensure that players in the Super Eagles Team B, who are mainly local stars, are kept intact as a standby squad for the country, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, says it will henceforth prevent the players from plying their trades in lowly rated leagues abroad.

Chairman of the technical committee of the NFF, Chris Green, told P.M.Sports that the football authorities find it embarrassing to see talented Nigerian players rot away in obscure leagues in countries such as Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, Azerbaijan and others in the name of playing professional soccer abroad.

Green noted that the NFF has decided to stop the ugly tide now that the local players in the Super Eagles have given a good account of themselves with their performance in the camp under new coach Stephen Keshi and the game they played against Angola in an international friendly in Abuja recently.

“We will ensure that the local players in the Eagles remain in the country. Let me say that if they must leave for greener pastures abroad it should be for leagues that will improve their career. We want to stop our players from playing in leagues that won’t add value to their career, especially in countries which are not football playing nations. If any of the current players in the Eagles Team B are found in these leagues he should just forget about playing for Nigeria again,” Green warned

He lamented the exodus of talented Nigerians players like Ganiyu Oseni and Bassey Akpan to the league in Vietnam, describing the situation as a sad development because this country is not in the same class as Nigeria in world football. He warned that any Nigerian player that wants to remain relevant to the NFF and the national teams should desist from falling to the temptations of playing in these lowly rated leagues.

“It is sad to hear that Nigerian players are plying their trades in India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Imagine Ganiyu Oseni playing in Vietnam. Even Bassey Akpan, who was one of the best goalkeepers in the Nigeria Premier League, and was also in the camp of the local Eagles now playing in Vietnam. It is sad when these players allow their agents to get contracts for them in such leagues.

“But I am sure that by the time it becomes known to them that the NFF will not invite players in these obscure leagues to play for the national teams at any level again, they will have a rethink about their ambitious action,” he said.

—Francis Achi/Abuja