Former Nigerian international, Friday Ekpo has criticized the NFF for prioritizing foreign based players over those in the domestic league.
Ekpo insists that the foundation of any successful national team should be rooted in its home league.
The former League winner stressed that while foreign based players can add tactical depth and experience, they should only complement a strong core of locally developed talent.
“First and foremost, my desire is to see our Nigerian league grow,” Ekpo told Brila.net.
Create a Balanced Blend
Ekpo offered the solution to Nigeria’s struggle to dominate in spite of the plethora of talents within and outside the Country.
“Building a team with a rich blend of home grown talents and the top most tactics coming from abroad, you will surely get what you want.
“The bedrock of a national team is the home league. If you check England, most of their players come from the Premier League.
“If you check Germany, they come from the Bundesliga every other country except Nigeria brings people from local leagues.
“We have players with talent, power, skills they have what you want, even though our fields are not good.
“But we have players that play well, so why would you now go abroad to get players? If we need them so much, we will bring them in not that you will carry about 30, then you will take one goalkeeper from Nigeria.
“I always feel bad when I see players from the Nigerian leagues not starting in the national team.
“The ones that start from the Nigerian league, go abroad, then get national team invites and they do well too.
“That’s my fight. I work hard, I keep talking about them let’s elevate them to that standard.”
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Ekpo’s comments come amid ongoing debates about the balance between foreign-based and domestic league players in the Nigerian national team setup, with many stakeholders calling for increased investment and trust in the local league.
During his playing career, Ekpo was part of the squad at the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations, where Nigeria secured a bronze medal, and he scored in the third place playoff against Cameroon.
He also contributed to Nigeria’s qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, although he was not included in the final squad for the tournament.
