NIGERIA HOME BASED PLAYERS VS DIASPORA-BORN PLAYERS PART 2

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[OMMISSION OF HOME BASED PLAYERS FROM SUPER EAGLES SQUAD FOR ONGOING AFCON 2023 PART 2]

A start with Amaju Pinnick in this edition will help give us insight about how to propel this marketing strategy further.

The former NFF President never did harm but good regarding this subject. It’s only when the majority of selected players are never tested in their various clubs and can’t offer the Super Eagles anything special, then we can in the end come up with such a suggestion that the diaspora-born players have nothing to offer the team. Pinnick remains a good promoter and marketer in the aspect of scouting. He intensified that method and exposed a lot of our players scattered abroad. Convincing these players is a huge task and Gernet Rohr made it easier for him when he arrived too. Most of us living out there remember the fight over Sydney Sam, years back. Advise was given but he chose to play for Germany but sure regrets it. The German national team had the best white players playing on his best position but he never understood what that meant. Nigeria is a good platform and every Nigerian should have that equal opportunity to represent their chosen country and take their careers to the next level while doing that.

Playing for a good club-side abroad and succeeding in the Super Eagles are two different things. Gerald Asamoah chose Germany over Ghana and became a huge success after he was rejected by the Ghanaian coaches when invited by Ghana but failed to be taken seriously by the coaches. On the contrary Kevin-Prince Boateng chose Ghana and it ended up great for him. Tammy Abraham chose England and the result hasn’t been rosy. Being selected with the SE and being good is a task those players know they must fight to achieve when they agree. They battled more difficult tasks there as Balogun and Ekong have always proven when selected and now Ajayi, Lookman, Bassey and others are proving they can kill their bodies for Nigeria.

It isn’t easy convincing the parents and family members of these players to choose Nigeria especially when they are major targets. It even sometimes becomes political and economy or money plays key roles too. The Europeans have fought over such players that migration has born to their societies and policies have also been changed to suit the nations. The Germans felt used, when they refused making use of the many migrant players in their society and saw France and Belgium took one hundred percent advantage of the strategy. It retained talent and helped improve not just football but grow their economy too. Many countries are opening up and the Chinese that were so locked up are doing so too. They also reserve incentives to retain special talents that come to China for studies.

The story of how the Germans went an extra mile to fly personnel to secretly meet and negotiate with relatives of Mesut Ozil in Turkey was all over the place in Germany when leaked. Ilkey Gundogan was also a good fight. Jerome Boateng was a tussle too.

The question remains; are these Nigerian players convinced to represent their nation truly special talents out there or been falsely promoted and convinced to represent Nigeria? Almost all these players are special talented players that have represented those nations in their youth levels which makes them exceptional. The competition is so huge in the European football youth system. It is wired in a way that only the best make it to their national teams out there. For these migrant-born players to outplay their full European counterparts and be selected isn’t child’s play. They must be categorized as ‘special talent.’ The various Talent Development Centers (TDC’s) does that work. Tammy

Are the selection criteria for SE not extended to the Nigerian local league players as claimed? The national team has scouts, and are open to personal scouts, agents, academies and individuals. I remember when Peseiro arrived and was all over the country watching games. Reports said he had nothing to do.

It is reported in some sports forums, where certain stakeholders asked where exams like ‘national examination council’ supervises, so they could also know that these diaspora-based are better for selection. To such stakeholders, I can say, the exams already went on but the students maybe never knew they were even examined for the selection into Super Eagles. Amateur leagues, semi-professional and the professional leagues are the tests, and the final exams were prepared through the CHAN, U23, and U20. Unfortunately, even some players don’t know they’ve written the exams already and some stakeholders also don’t know that and are asking when and where those selection tests were made.

In the next edition, I will delve into facts that would reveal if the broadcast industry, online streaming, press reportage, etc., has done harm or good to the selection of local league players and if it is a reasonable scouting concept for the Nigerian setting.

My best regards

Austin Akpehe

Galaxy Sports Development China / Galaxy Sports Academy Nigeria

www.galaxysports.us

To be continued