- NFF Lists Conditions for new Contract, Including Using Specific Home-based Players.
By Oyinlola Awonuga (The New Diplomat’s Entertainment, Style and Sports Desk)
Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has spoken on his preference for foreign-based professionals. “We cannot find all the time players in the local league who are better than the other ones,” Rohr told ESPN.
Heartland goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa has been the only consistent local-based invitee by Rohr since he took charge of the team.
He said: “The criterion for us, the first criteria is the quality of the players. Everybody knows, not only in Nigeria, that the best players are in Europe or somewhere else in professional leagues. That is the fact. I invited already more than 23 or 24 local players since I have been in charge of the Super Eagles but we invite them and then immediately they are going to Europe. It is wonderful for them but maybe not for us.”
Rohr also revealed that the failure of the home-based Super Eagles to qualify for African Nations Championship has made it difficult for him to select more local players to the national team.
“CHAN team and under-20 team must play all the time. The coaches who are responsible for these teams, must work with me together. And normally the best of the league are in either CHAN or under-20 or under-17,” he added.
Recall that president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick recently stated that the former Girondis Bordeaux tactician will henceforth be mandated to include a certain number of home-based players in his squad as part of the conditions for a new contract.
Whereas in the “Fédération Internationale de Football Association” (FIFA) ranking there are no changes at all for the team in the latest FIFA Ranking, the Super Eagles of Nigeria has remained in 31st position in the latest FIFA Ranking which remains unchanged all through. Nigeria has been in 31st position on the FIFA Ranking since the rating was released in November 2019. And this ranking has remained so since December 2019 and February 2020 respectively.
