NPFL Players Didn’t Do Enough to Merit a Place in AFCON Squad – Okumagba
As Nigerians await the release of the final Super Eagles list for this year’s AFCON finals by Coach Eric Chelle, Prince Vincent Okumagba, the Chairman of the Unified Nigeria Supporters Club, has downplayed the calls for inclusion of players from the domestic league in the squad; saying they’ve not done enough to be included
Speaking with newsmen ahead of their preparations for the Nations Cup, he said it’s rather too late for calling for the injection of home-based players into the Super Eagles squad when the tournament is around the corner.
He expressed reservations about the availability of exceptional players in the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) who could make a significant impact, citing their poor performance in the recent CHAN and WAFU tournaments.
“I think it’s too late to demand that home-based players be added to the Super Eagles’ AFCON roster, given how poorly they performed in the most recent CHAN tournaments,
“I’m not sure if we currently have outstanding players in our NPFL who can have such an influence. They were helpless against other African home-based teams who were well-organized.
On expectations from the Eagles, Okumagba said, “personally and as an individual I’m lowering my expectations on the team ahead of AFCON, but as the leader of the Supporters Club I will urge them to rewrite their name in gold by winning the trophy for us, at least to appease the Nigerian football community for failing to qualify for the World Cup.”
He added that none of these Super Eagles players have ever won the Nation Cup, hoping that this might be a motivating factor for them to be determined to deliver, as this might also be the last AFCON for some of them, and on the part of the Supporters Club, they are more than ready to do their bit in motivating and aiding them to do well.
As part of preparations for the 2025 AFCON, the Eagles will camp in Egypt, with an unofficial pre-tournament friendly scheduled against the Pharaohs of Egypt on December 16.
Nigeria, runners-up at the last AFCON after losing 2–1 to hosts Ivory Coast, are seeking a fourth continental title, having previously won the competition in 1980, 1994 and 2013.
