July 05, (THEWILL) – The lower leagues of European football are not meant for the footballing talents that Nigeria produces according to Amaju Melvin Pinnick, the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). The football administrator bared his thinking on the subject while inspiring the home-based Eagles ahead of their international friendly against Mexico on Sunday.
For Pinnick, nothing stops players moving abroad from becoming part of talented squads of teams in the first division of Europe’s biggest leagues. To further buttress his point, he dropped some big names, by his estimation.
The 50-year-old used, as an example, the former French Ligue 1 side of Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen Lille Olympique Sporting Club and Spain’s La Liga teams Valencia Club de Fútbol and Villarreal Club de Fútbol, the latter of which also has the skillful Samuel Chukwueze in their first team lineup.
Amaju, who belongs to FIFA’s main decision-making body, the FIFA Council, made a heartfelt pledge of his determination to provide necessary support to see this objective of getting Nigerian footballers into the elite cadre of European football become the reality.
As he addressed the young players desirous to express their suitability for a chance in the Super Eagles senior men’s squad and a shot at being scouted for European football, he held his promise to help them as a trump card while insisting that he had asked football agents to stop taking players from the country to unknown leagues abroad.
However, as THEWILL reported the players stood no chance against the superiority of their Mexican opponents, who illustrated the difference in quality with the 4-nil dispatch of the Super Eagles at the Los Angeles Coliseum. A rapid fire two goals in the first four minutes of the first half was only a harbinger of the outclassing that took place.
In the second half, it was more of the same as Atletico Madrid’s Hector Herrera completed his brace before the man who replaced him later in the game, Jonathan dos Santos, found the back of the net to wrap up the scoring and close out El Tri’s preparations for the defense of their CONCACAF Gold Cup title in next month’s competition.
What Pinnick was speaking to was the age-old attempt by players eager to move to Europe, like the cast of NPFL players who populated the squad against Mexico on Sunday, apart from Ibrahim Sunusi, striker of the Major League Soccer side CF Montréal, to accept any offer that allows them travel regardless of the calibre of the club making the offer.
Often, these players use any opportunity given to showcase their ability, exactly what the international friendly against Mexico was for them, to demonstrate their suitability for an offer to move abroad and begin life as a foreign-based Nigerian player with all the accoutrements that come with that status.
As this is the very heart of the transfer season in Europe, Pinnick’s message to them was to give their best for the country and he was going to do what was in his power to make sure they get offers from the best Europe has to offer rather than whatever is available simply for the sake of acquiring the status of a foreign-based player.
Although the result of the match will be a disappointing letdown, it must not be taken for granted that this promise of the NFF President has to be taken with the avowed ongoing development of the local administration of football for the sake of bringing it on par with what obtains in well-managed football countries.
The Imperative of this cannot be overlooked and it was in stark relief when the Nigerian players were outplayed in attack, midfield and defense. All three departments bore match statistics that were embarrassingly one-sided in favour of Mexico because the domestic game lacks the quality of technical know-how, the basic amenities, the functional structure to match what is obtainable in other leagues.
Even within the continent, countries with better domestic football structure and organisation outshine their Nigerian counterparts in continental events except in the off-chance that a club invests heavily on getting it right as Enyimba International Football Club had done in the past and has previously experienced continental success.
So, when Pinnick expresses beautiful sentiments such as these: “I want to expose you, people, to the highest levels so when you’re going to a foreign club, and we won’t allow any agent take you to countries like Cyprus, Belarus, etc., no, never we won’t allow it and I will make sure no transfer is issued on situations like that,” it is worth taking it with a conscious view of the domestic situation of Nigeria’s football.
And it is also worth doing so bearing in mind that there still is a lot that needs to be done to bring local coaches up to speed about the dictates of modern Football coaching theory, practice and the technical basis on which it operates, the amenities to support this technical background, the investment it requires, the mental, physical and psychological foundation necessary to make it all work.
Simply promising elite European football for domestic talents without this initial foundational work is akin to trying to fly with only one wing.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
