Nigeria’s Super Eagles, who have defeated Sierra Leone and São Tomé & Principe, are in the first spot in their group with six points
The Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro, has faced criticism for his latest 23-man team selection for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea-Bissau.
The Portuguese coach summoned up Giant Brillars goalkeeper Kingsley Aniagboso from Nigeria’s second tier. Given the plethora of Nigerian players who are thriving in both the local and international stages, the inclusion of Flying Eagles defender Daniel Bameyi on the 23-man roster has still been questioned.
According to ESPN, the former manager of Venezuela had previously routinely selected 25-man teams, the majority of whom were based in Europe. However, a senior member of the NFF board revealed that the trainer was now instructed to call up no more than 20 players from Europe, and the remaining players had to come from the domestic 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,
“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.” Says the board member, as cited by ESPN.
Due to this limitation, the Portuguese named three players from the domestic league, including two goalkeepers and a defender from the under-20 squad.
“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.
Nonetheless, this is anticipated to be the trend, and future team choices are anticipated to give greater weight to local players.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria are anticipated to play their West African neighbour, Guinea-Bissau, at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja, later this month as the quest to qualify for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations resumes.