BEVERLY HILLS, December 21, (THEWILL) – Former Super Eagles winger, Tijani Babangida, says players playing in Europe’s second tier division should not be called up to play for the Super Eagles.
Babangida, who is also the President, Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria, disclosed this while he was interviewed by The Punch.
He said: “Nigeria has never given a free hand to a coach as it has given to Gernot Rohr.
“The country needs to have a system in place to groom players from the local league for the national teams. The coach and his backroom staff need to stay in the country to train the local players.
“We don’t have a strong national team. Players playing in the lower division in Europe should not be invited to the national team.
“In Europe, they don’t invite players who are not first team regulars to the national team but here (in Nigeria) we even invite inactive players for games.”
THEWILL writes that both Kenneth Omeruo, William Troost-Ekong and Jamilu Colins play prominent roles for the Super Eagles but they play their trade in second division clubs in Europe.
Omeruo plays for Leganes in the Spanish Segunda division while Troost-Ekong play for English Championship side, Watford.
About the Author
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.
