On various social media platforms, quite a number of Super Eagles fans are expressing trepidations that subpar players from the local NPFL scene will be selected by the new coach of the Super Eagles for national team assignments.
I couldn’t agree more when some fans sound a note of caution in Super Eagles Coach Finidi bowing to pressure. That said, how will Finidi attempt to navigate not biting the hands that feed him if the pressure to include homebase players become insufferable?
According to the Sun Newspaper: “Finidi’s mandate as Super Eagles coach is to qualify the country to the 2026 World Cup and also involve more home-based players in the team. There is a plan in place for a camp to be opened early before the main team, this will involve players from the domestic league.”
Well, Rohr and Peseiro expertly navigated this quagmire. Even NFF Technical Director Eguavoen largely overlooked homebase players for AFCON and world cup qualifiers – so there’s hope that Finidi will do the right thing.
But, the calls for inclusion of homebase players in Finidi’s Super Eagles is coming from forces beyond the NFF.
“I hope Finidi who is a coach in the NPFL will deem it necessary to give opportunities to the best legs in the league to play for the Super Eagles.
At the moment, Nigerian clubs are not doing well in the continent but that is not enough for anyone to conclude that there is a dearth of talent in the domestic league,” said Finidi’s former colleague Moses Kpapor.
Again, it will be interesting to see how Finidi goes about to walking that tight rope between being his own person and kowtowing to pressure from those who put him in that position even if it means putting the knickers of a large body of fans in a twist.