A top member of the Nigerian Football Federation has revealed why some home based players were invited to the Super Eagles camp.
According to an NFF board member who spoke to ESPN, the coach has been instructed to limit his call-ups to 20 players from Europe and select the remaining squad members from the domestic league due to financial constraints.
The board member emphasized that the coach has the freedom to call up more players but only 20 can come from abroad, while the others must be from the local league
“We cannot afford to invite so many players from Europe any more because we need to be very judicious in our use of the limited funds we have,” the board member said.
“Peseiro can call as many players as he wants, but only 20 can come from abroad. If he needs any more, he should get them from the local league.”.
This restriction has resulted in the coach selecting three players from the domestic league for the current squad, which is expected to become the norm going forward.
“The president wants to make sure that the local league players are recognized in the Super Eagles, and this will be one way to help strengthen the league and make it more attractive,” the board member added.
The board member added that the president wants to promote local league players and help strengthen the league’s appeal. The current squad includes Victor Sochima (Rivers United), Kingsley Aniagboso (Giant Brillars), and Daniel Bameyi (YumYum FC) as the home-based players.