REAL TEST: Dual Citizenship and African Football Education

[Enugu II]

. . . it is also a vastly different squad from any in the country's history. In 70 years of international football, Nigeria has never featured a squad that is so dependent on players with dual citizenship, many born outside Africa. That very characteristic is claimed to be the biggest asset of this team. The fans believe that players bred in Nigeria lack appropriate football education required to compete with the best in the world. But the rough and tumble of African soccer may well challenge that claim and that is where the Sierra Leonians step up.

Then there is a psychological strength that is required to achieve a measure of consistency in the face of a different style of balling. The likes of Ebuehi, Iwobi, and Aina have clearly stories to tell about their initial starts for Nigeria and the challenges. The African arena presents a football education that isn't easily grasped in a European academy. If you cannot adapt to it, if you cannot re-learn some of the other European football education, and if you cannot man-up in the continental African style then the results may be bleak.

Details can be found here:

https://eaglecity.blogspot.com/2020/03/ ... -team.html

[Eaglezbeak]

. . . it is also a vastly different squad from any in the country's history. In 70 years of international football, Nigeria has never featured a squad that is so dependent on players with dual citizenship, many born outside Africa. That very characteristic is claimed to be the biggest asset of this team. The fans believe that players bred in Nigeria lack appropriate football education required to compete with the best in the world. But the rough and tumble of African soccer may well challenge that claim and that is where the Sierra Leonians step up.

Then there is a psychological strength that is required to achieve a measure of consistency in the face of a different style of balling. The likes of Ebuehi, Iwobi, and Aina have clearly stories to tell about their initial starts for Nigeria and the challenges. The African arena presents a football education that isn't easily grasped in a European academy. If you cannot adapt to it, if you cannot re-learn some of the other European football education, and if you cannot man-up in the continental African style then the results may be bleak.

Details can be found here:

https://eaglecity.blogspot.com/2020/03/ ... -team.html

Algeria beat a Physical Senegalese team twice on route to winning the last Afcon (2019) they only conceded two goals beating Nigeria along the way none of which Senegal scored in two games,Algeria also had players that learnt their trade abroad mainly France ,I’m not saying this is the way to go for African Football but if you have access to players that are more experienced and capable than what you already have why not use them?
Nigeria beat Algeria 3-1 and 2-1 (WCQ) a year and a half before they met in that Semifinal.

[jette1]

. . . it is also a vastly different squad from any in the country's history. In 70 years of international football, Nigeria has never featured a squad that is so dependent on players with dual citizenship, many born outside Africa. That very characteristic is claimed to be the biggest asset of this team. The fans believe that players bred in Nigeria lack appropriate football education required to compete with the best in the world. But the rough and tumble of African soccer may well challenge that claim and that is where the Sierra Leonians step up.

Then there is a psychological strength that is required to achieve a measure of consistency in the face of a different style of balling. The likes of Ebuehi, Iwobi, and Aina have clearly stories to tell about their initial starts for Nigeria and the challenges. The African arena presents a football education that isn't easily grasped in a European academy. If you cannot adapt to it, if you cannot re-learn some of the other European football education, and if you cannot man-up in the continental African style then the results may be bleak.

Details can be found here:

https://eaglecity.blogspot.com/2020/03/ ... -team.html

Algeria beat a Physical Senegalese team twice on route to winning the last Afcon (2019) they only conceded two goals beating Nigeria along the way none of which Senegal scored in two games,Algeria also had players that learnt their trade abroad mainly France ,I’m not saying this is the way to go for African Football but if you have access to players that are more experienced and capable than what you already have why not use them?
Nigeria beat Algeria 3-1 and 2-1 (WCQ) a year and half before they met in that Semifinal.

there was nothing special about that Algerian team. we lost because of lack of leadership in the field and clueless coach that couldnt manage a game to end. Senegal lost to Algeria because they play like a woman team - too soft and allowed algeria to bully them. radical muslim vs cool muslim

[kalani JR]

The great Senegalese team of the early 2000s was full of Parisian kids. We might overrate "Africa" as an obstacle, after wen there was a World Cup in Africa Spain won it.

[Eaglezbeak]

. . . it is also a vastly different squad from any in the country's history. In 70 years of international football, Nigeria has never featured a squad that is so dependent on players with dual citizenship, many born outside Africa. That very characteristic is claimed to be the biggest asset of this team. The fans believe that players bred in Nigeria lack appropriate football education required to compete with the best in the world. But the rough and tumble of African soccer may well challenge that claim and that is where the Sierra Leonians step up.

Then there is a psychological strength that is required to achieve a measure of consistency in the face of a different style of balling. The likes of Ebuehi, Iwobi, and Aina have clearly stories to tell about their initial starts for Nigeria and the challenges. The African arena presents a football education that isn't easily grasped in a European academy. If you cannot adapt to it, if you cannot re-learn some of the other European football education, and if you cannot man-up in the continental African style then the results may be bleak.

Details can be found here:

https://eaglecity.blogspot.com/2020/03/ ... -team.html

Algeria beat a Physical Senegalese team twice on route to winning the last Afcon (2019) they only conceded two goals beating Nigeria along the way none of which Senegal scored in two games,Algeria also had players that learnt their trade abroad mainly France ,I’m not saying this is the way to go for African Football but if you have access to players that are more experienced and capable than what you already have why not use them?
Nigeria beat Algeria 3-1 and 2-1 (WCQ) a year and half before they met in that Semifinal.

there was nothing special about that Algerian team. we lost because of lack of leadership in the field and clueless coach that couldnt manage a game to end. Senegal lost to Algeria because they play like a woman team - too soft and allowed algeria to bully them. radical muslim vs cool muslim

Ok, your reasoning is that of a genius but if you know this why can’t the experts deal with the problem ,I don’t have much to say about Senegal losing to Algeria twice and Algeria only conceding twice it may just show that African football has a long way to go.

[Gotti]

The great Senegalese team of the early 2000s was full of Parisian kids. We might overrate "Africa" as an obstacle, after wen there was a World Cup in Africa Spain won it.

Oh heck no, it was NOT!

Without prejudice to any theory or thesis under discourse here...
Only 2 of the 2002 WC squad (bit players btw) were born abroad - Sylvain N’Diaye and Habib Beye!

[vancity eagle]

the idea that you play "African born" players in the "rough" African games is silly.

No team on the planet would play different sets of players depending on the opposition or the terrain.

We had a stupid idea a while ago that we should use "local" players for rough and tough african qualifirers. The stupidity of that is WHO DO YOU USE IN THE WORLD CUP ?

Do you stick with the "local" players who will likely be completely exposed when playing the likes of Spain, Argentina etc. or do you then call up your "euro based" players, and if you do that you hadn't played them in the qualifiers so you hadn't BUILT A TEAM.

We build a TEAM period, WITH OUR BEST INGREDIENTS, no matter where they play or were born. Whether we are playing on pristine green pitches against England, or a rugged cow grazing stretch of dirt against Sierra Leone. YOU HAVE THE SAME TEAM.

Now you can make minor adjustments WITHIN YOUR 23 SQUAD, to improve your chances within that given circumstance, but you do not wholesale change the team.

Another caveat is that "Nigerian born" players who go abroad and play for the Chelsea's and Leicesters also tend to not want to play the "jambody" African soccer, so they in essence become "europeanized" in that regard.

Again the idea that we should lineup Enyimba against Sierre Leone is idiotic and counter productive. There were many of those who advocated such in the past.

Look at how backwards a team like Ghana are, where the new coach has called up homebased defenders and left out Spanish based Mohammed Salisu, who is being courted by European giants. Are we not glad this type of nonsense has long been exterminated from our beloved SE.

WE ARE IN A NEW ERA OF SUPER EAGLES.

An era where the likes of Sadiq Umar, Emmanuel Dennis, Chidera Ejuke, Josh Maja, Mikel Agu all having good seasons cannot get into our team.

These players would have been shoe ins in the Keshi era (corruption not withstanding)

and it will only get worse (more competative) and in essence better for the welfare of SE when more dual nationals join ship and other youth prospects start to materialize. We are on route to having a deadly squad for 2022, and for me being a SE fan has never been this enjoyable.

The haters will have to follow a new sport because SE is never going back to those garbage days when any "hey you" can come to "fight for shirts"

Thank God that those horrific days are OVER.

Somebody calling Algeria "nothing special" This is a team that just dismantled Colombia 3-0 They have been integrating French players since 2013 and it paid off with their WC in 2014 and finally just now paid off within Africa after it had not lived up to the expectations.

This is the way football is today, and also I want to stress that bringing in "foreign born" does not in anyway mean we cannot AT THE SAME TIME develop youth players. The likes of CHukwueze, Osimehn, Ndidi are proof of this.

But sentiments are now over. Only the best moving forward.

[aruako1]

the idea that you play "African born" players in the "rough" African games is silly.

No team on the planet would play different sets of players depending on the opposition or the terrain.

We had a stupid idea a while ago that we should use "local" players for rough and tough african qualifirers. The stupidity of that is WHO DO YOU USE IN THE WORLD CUP ?

Do you stick with the "local" players who will likely be completely exposed when playing the likes of Spain, Argentina etc. or do you then call up your "euro based" players, and if you do that you hadn't played them in the qualifiers so you hadn't BUILT A TEAM.

We build a TEAM period, WITH OUR BEST INGREDIENTS, no matter where they play or were born. Whether we are playing on pristine green pitches against England, or a rugged cow grazing stretch of dirt against Sierra Leone. YOU HAVE THE SAME TEAM.

Now you can make minor adjustments WITHIN YOUR 23 SQUAD, to improve your chances within that given circumstance, but you do not wholesale change the team.

Another caveat is that "Nigerian born" players who go abroad and play for the Chelsea's and Leicesters also tend to not want to play the "jambody" African soccer, so they in essence become "europeanized" in that regard.

Again the idea that we should lineup Enyimba against Sierre Leone is idiotic and counter productive. There were many of those who advocated such in the past.

Look at how backwards a team like Ghana are, where the new coach has called up homebased defenders and left out Spanish based Mohammed Salisu, who is being courted by European giants. Are we not glad this type of nonsense has long been exterminated from our beloved SE.

WE ARE IN A NEW ERA OF SUPER EAGLES.

An era where the likes of Sadiq Umar, Emmanuel Dennis, Chidera Ejuke, Josh Maja, Mikel Agu all having good seasons cannot get into our team.

These players would have been shoe ins in the Keshi era (corruption not withstanding)

and it will only get worse (more competative) and in essence better for the welfare of SE when more dual nationals join ship and other youth prospects start to materialize. We are on route to having a deadly squad for 2022, and for me being a SE fan has never been this enjoyable.

The haters will have to follow a new sport because SE is never going back to those garbage days when any "hey you" can come to "fight for shirts"

Thank God that those horrific days are OVER.

Somebody calling Algeria "nothing special" This is a team that just dismantled Colombia 3-0 They have been integrating French players since 2013 and it paid off with their WC in 2014 and finally just now paid off within Africa after it had not lived up to the expectations.

This is the way football is today, and also I want to stress that bringing in "foreign born" does not in anyway mean we cannot AT THE SAME TIME develop youth players. The likes of CHukwueze, Osimehn, Ndidi are proof of this.

But sentiments are now over. Only the best moving forward.

The Enyimba team of the mid-2000s would have qualified for the 2006 WC. Sometimes you consider terrain when choosing players for a game

[Bigpokey24]

The great Senegalese team of the early 2000s was full of Parisian kids. We might overrate "Africa" as an obstacle, after wen there was a World Cup in Africa Spain won it.

Another false and fake info parroted by the clueless eyeservice kalani... smh ..you need to go back and figure out the birth of those players

[Otitokoro]

You encapsulated my thoughts. Bravo!!

the idea that you play "African born" players in the "rough" African games is silly.

No team on the planet would play different sets of players depending on the opposition or the terrain.

We had a stupid idea a while ago that we should use "local" players for rough and tough african qualifirers. The stupidity of that is WHO DO YOU USE IN THE WORLD CUP ?

Do you stick with the "local" players who will likely be completely exposed when playing the likes of Spain, Argentina etc. or do you then call up your "euro based" players, and if you do that you hadn't played them in the qualifiers so you hadn't BUILT A TEAM.

We build a TEAM period, WITH OUR BEST INGREDIENTS, no matter where they play or were born. Whether we are playing on pristine green pitches against England, or a rugged cow grazing stretch of dirt against Sierra Leone. YOU HAVE THE SAME TEAM.

Now you can make minor adjustments WITHIN YOUR 23 SQUAD, to improve your chances within that given circumstance, but you do not wholesale change the team.

Another caveat is that "Nigerian born" players who go abroad and play for the Chelsea's and Leicesters also tend to not want to play the "jambody" African soccer, so they in essence become "europeanized" in that regard.

Again the idea that we should lineup Enyimba against Sierre Leone is idiotic and counter productive. There were many of those who advocated such in the past.

Look at how backwards a team like Ghana are, where the new coach has called up homebased defenders and left out Spanish based Mohammed Salisu, who is being courted by European giants. Are we not glad this type of nonsense has long been exterminated from our beloved SE.

WE ARE IN A NEW ERA OF SUPER EAGLES.

An era where the likes of Sadiq Umar, Emmanuel Dennis, Chidera Ejuke, Josh Maja, Mikel Agu all having good seasons cannot get into our team.

These players would have been shoe ins in the Keshi era (corruption not withstanding)

and it will only get worse (more competative) and in essence better for the welfare of SE when more dual nationals join ship and other youth prospects start to materialize. We are on route to having a deadly squad for 2022, and for me being a SE fan has never been this enjoyable.

The haters will have to follow a new sport because SE is never going back to those garbage days when any "hey you" can come to "fight for shirts"

Thank God that those horrific days are OVER.

Somebody calling Algeria "nothing special" This is a team that just dismantled Colombia 3-0 They have been integrating French players since 2013 and it paid off with their WC in 2014 and finally just now paid off within Africa after it had not lived up to the expectations.

This is the way football is today, and also I want to stress that bringing in "foreign born" does not in anyway mean we cannot AT THE SAME TIME develop youth players. The likes of CHukwueze, Osimehn, Ndidi are proof of this.

But sentiments are now over. Only the best moving forward.

[txj]

I have to say that this kind of distinction among Nigerian citizens/players is a little disturbing for me personally.

In football players are required to adapt constantly- to different coaches/philosophies; different leagues, football cultures, etc

In an old interview, I remember Westerhof speaking of his prep for a WCQ in Pointe Noire (or Brazzaville) Congo and how he began by asking ALL his players to forget about the playing conditions they have in Europe and condition their minds for the bumpy surface, the hostile conditions- weather, fans, ref, officials, airports, etc

He did not make a distinction among the players. And Yes, this is a VASTLY different squad where the '94 group only had 1 or 2 dual citizens.

And while I fully understand the intent of the OP, I am still nonetheless concerned about this kind of distinction.

The football education that different players undergo might be different, but ultimately it comes down to what you are able to deliver on any given day. That's what determines whether it is an asset or not.

Interestingly, the Algerians, Moroccans and Tunisians have been playing with dual citizens for donkey years.

Not at all sure why this kind of distinction is necessary in the first place....

Just my tuppence...

[kalani JR]

The great Senegalese team of the early 2000s was full of Parisian kids. We might overrate "Africa" as an obstacle, after wen there was a World Cup in Africa Spain won it.

Another false and fake info parroted by the clueless eyeservice kalani... smh ..you need to go back and figure out the birth of those players

I didn't say born there you chumpheaded buffoon, many were raised there, Fadiga, Beye, Aliou Cisse, Diatta, Coly ...

Stick to responding to your fellow fools.

[Cellular]

. . . it is also a vastly different squad from any in the country's history. In 70 years of international football, Nigeria has never featured a squad that is so dependent on players with dual citizenship, many born outside Africa. That very characteristic is claimed to be the biggest asset of this team. The fans believe that players bred in Nigeria lack appropriate football education required to compete with the best in the world. But the rough and tumble of African soccer may well challenge that claim and that is where the Sierra Leonians step up.

Then there is a psychological strength that is required to achieve a measure of consistency in the face of a different style of balling. The likes of Ebuehi, Iwobi, and Aina have clearly stories to tell about their initial starts for Nigeria and the challenges. The African arena presents a football education that isn't easily grasped in a European academy. If you cannot adapt to it, if you cannot re-learn some of the other European football education, and if you cannot man-up in the continental African style then the results may be bleak.

Details can be found here:

https://eaglecity.blogspot.com/2020/03/ ... -team.html

I used to be an advocate for including local players in the National team set up. This was until I moved to Naijaria and tried watching league games and practices.

Yes, there are naturally talented players with exquisite ball juggling skills but there are just raw. People used to laugh and snicker that a player can go overseas and train for one month and become a 'better' player but it very likely to happen. It happens because you get not just proper training but you get improvement in nutrition and other physiological aspects of being a footballer/athlete.

We badly need a "Technical Director" for our National Team program. The age-grade teams still remain the major platform from whence we see players who might make the transition from a local based player to an international-based player and then to the National team. Until then, we are left to use players who are fundamentally sound in the tactical aspect of the game over those who might have way better raw talent.

Other African teams are faced with the same problems. Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and CIV have a significant diaspora community who play football and their FAs face the same issue with folks questioning if they are 'authentic' enough.

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

More and more of our skilled labour in ALL facets of human endeavor are based overseas... so why should it be different with Football? So their kids assuming they are good enough should not see Naijaria as an option.

Naijaria should see the number of Naijarians (kids of Naijarian parentage) playing in the NFL (National Football League). They are prized athletes. They are also in the NCAAs dominating and excelling in track and field, basketball, etc... should they also be discriminated against? The only difference in track and field is that there is an objective way of measuring excellence. Football, on the other hand, is a tad different... A national team coach does not have the luxury of teaching a player the technical rudiments of the game. They are expected to have learned those at their respective clubs.

What the NFF should do is to keep sanitizing Youth football and getting rid of age frauds. So when we see a 'young' player we can genuinely be excited about his prospects... scouts can pick them up and send them to teams where their football education will continue. The NPFL should also play a role by marketing their stars. They should be the ones trumpeting how good their players are. I haven't seen a match day advertorial in Naija or online advertising or promoting a player as a star attraction... it is the usual Naija, "trust me, we have good players..."

Good players are not "Choosin materials", guys who can juggle from sun up to sun down but can't do a basic pass and move or know how to hold a line...

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

[Damunk]

. . . it is also a vastly different squad from any in the country's history. In 70 years of international football, Nigeria has never featured a squad that is so dependent on players with dual citizenship, many born outside Africa. That very characteristic is claimed to be the biggest asset of this team. The fans believe that players bred in Nigeria lack appropriate football education required to compete with the best in the world. But the rough and tumble of African soccer may well challenge that claim and that is where the Sierra Leonians step up.

Then there is a psychological strength that is required to achieve a measure of consistency in the face of a different style of balling. The likes of Ebuehi, Iwobi, and Aina have clearly stories to tell about their initial starts for Nigeria and the challenges. The African arena presents a football education that isn't easily grasped in a European academy. If you cannot adapt to it, if you cannot re-learn some of the other European football education, and if you cannot man-up in the continental African style then the results may be bleak.

Details can be found here:

https://eaglecity.blogspot.com/2020/03/ ... -team.html

I used to be an advocate for including local players in the National team set up. This was until I moved to Naijaria and tried watching league games and practices.

Yes, there are naturally talented players with exquisite ball juggling skills but there are just raw. People used to laugh and snicker that a player can go overseas and train for one month and become a 'better' player but it very likely to happen. It happens because you get not just proper training but you get improvement in nutrition and other physiological aspects of being a footballer/athlete.

We badly need a "Technical Director" for our National Team program. The age-grade teams still remain the major platform from whence we see players who might make the transition from a local based player to an international-based player and then to the National team. Until then, we are left to use players who are fundamentally sound in the tactical aspect of the game over those who might have way better raw talent.

Other African teams are faced with the same problems. Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and CIV have a significant diaspora community who play football and their FAs face the same issue with folks questioning if they are 'authentic' enough.

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

More and more of our skilled labour in ALL facets of human endeavor are based overseas... so why should it be different with Football? So their kids assuming they are good enough should not see Naijaria as an option.

Naijaria should see the number of Naijarians (kids of Naijarian parentage) playing in the NFL (National Football League). They are prized athletes. They are also in the NCAAs dominating and excelling in track and field, basketball, etc... should they also be discriminated against? The only difference in track and field is that there is an objective way of measuring excellence. Football, on the other hand, is a tad different... A national team coach does not have the luxury of teaching a player the technical rudiments of the game. They are expected to have learned those at their respective clubs.

What the NFF should do is to keep sanitizing Youth football and getting rid of age frauds. So when we see a 'young' player we can genuinely be excited about his prospects... scouts can pick them up and send them to teams where their football education will continue. The NPFL should also play a role by marketing their stars. They should be the ones trumpeting how good their players are. I haven't seen a match day advertorial in Naija or online advertising or promoting a player as a star attraction... it is the usual Naija, "trust me, we have good players..."

Good players are not "Choosin materials", guys who can juggle from sun up to sun down but can't do a basic pass and move or know how to hold a line...

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

For whatever reason, this very simple message seems very difficult for many to understand.
Most baffling are some of those living abroad displaying a misplaced sense of patriotism by questioning the true identity of their 'own' foreign-born kids or even those kids of mixed race heritage.

Maybe its just overcompensation for a guilt complex which itself has no foundation.

[Gotti]

I used to be an advocate for including local players in the National team set up. This was until I moved to Naijaria and tried watching league games and practices.

Yes, there are naturally talented players with exquisite ball juggling skills but there are just raw. People used to laugh and snicker that a player can go overseas and train for one month and become a 'better' player but it very likely to happen. It happens because you get not just proper training but you get improvement in nutrition and other physiological aspects of being a footballer/athlete.

We badly need a "Technical Director" for our National Team program. The age-grade teams still remain the major platform from whence we see players who might make the transition from a local based player to an international-based player and then to the National team. Until then, we are left to use players who are fundamentally sound in the tactical aspect of the game over those who might have way better raw talent.

Other African teams are faced with the same problems. Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and CIV have a significant diaspora community who play football and their FAs face the same issue with folks questioning if they are 'authentic' enough.

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

More and more of our skilled labour in ALL facets of human endeavor are based overseas... so why should it be different with Football? So their kids assuming they are good enough should not see Naijaria as an option.

Naijaria should see the number of Naijarians (kids of Naijarian parentage) playing in the NFL (National Football League). They are prized athletes. They are also in the NCAAs dominating and excelling in track and field, basketball, etc... should they also be discriminated against? The only difference in track and field is that there is an objective way of measuring excellence. Football, on the other hand, is a tad different... A national team coach does not have the luxury of teaching a player the technical rudiments of the game. They are expected to have learned those at their respective clubs.

What the NFF should do is to keep sanitizing Youth football and getting rid of age frauds. So when we see a 'young' player we can genuinely be excited about his prospects... scouts can pick them up and send them to teams where their football education will continue. The NPFL should also play a role by marketing their stars. They should be the ones trumpeting how good their players are. I haven't seen a match day advertorial in Naija or online advertising or promoting a player as a star attraction... it is the usual Naija, "trust me, we have good players..."

Good players are not "Choosin materials", guys who can juggle from sun up to sun down but can't do a basic pass and move or know how to hold a line...

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

For whatever reason, this very simple message seems very difficult for many to understand.
Most baffling are some of those living abroad displaying a misplaced sense of patriotism by questioning the true identity of their 'own' foreign-born kids or even those kids of mixed race heritage.

Maybe its just overcompensation for a guilt complex which itself has no foundation.

With all due respect, what a load of...

So you are saying that when those Nigerian coaches who played and trained abroad (and even gotten the ‘prized’ UEFA pro license that some on here often ejaculate over) return to Nigeria something in the weather evaporates their knowledge and they can no longer train their charges the “properly”? Anyway, I am way too tired (and frankly not particularly arsed about this banal line of discourse) to bother with a proper deconstruction. Suffice it to note though that the so-called “proper” training of football players have no geographic domicile. Anywhere on the face of the globe (yes, even in Nigeria) that there is a “proper” coach, there is corollarily “proper” training.

Yes, many of Nigeria’s “best” professionals (including footballers) AS A GENERAL CLASS (and not every single one of them) often invariably end up (or start off) abroad - but that’s primarily for ECONOMIC and familial reasons. Nonetheless, being abroad is NOT necessarily the primary reason for their development into “better” professionals. Rather, sometimes younger professionals/players just get better as they become more experienced and mature. Furthermore, personal and professional development has always at its core been INDIVIDUAL. Accordingly, MANY (if not more) players end up as much as much POORER players abroad than when they started locally.

As for DAMUNK, only the Good Lord can explain what he’s going on about but seems like deep-seated complex issues. SMH

[Gotti]

I used to be an advocate for including local players in the National team set up. This was until I moved to Naijaria and tried watching league games and practices.

Yes, there are naturally talented players with exquisite ball juggling skills but there are just raw. People used to laugh and snicker that a player can go overseas and train for one month and become a 'better' player but it very likely to happen. It happens because you get not just proper training but you get improvement in nutrition and other physiological aspects of being a footballer/athlete.

We badly need a "Technical Director" for our National Team program. The age-grade teams still remain the major platform from whence we see players who might make the transition from a local based player to an international-based player and then to the National team. Until then, we are left to use players who are fundamentally sound in the tactical aspect of the game over those who might have way better raw talent.

Other African teams are faced with the same problems. Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and CIV have a significant diaspora community who play football and their FAs face the same issue with folks questioning if they are 'authentic' enough.

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

More and more of our skilled labour in ALL facets of human endeavor are based overseas... so why should it be different with Football? So their kids assuming they are good enough should not see Naijaria as an option.

Naijaria should see the number of Naijarians (kids of Naijarian parentage) playing in the NFL (National Football League). They are prized athletes. They are also in the NCAAs dominating and excelling in track and field, basketball, etc... should they also be discriminated against? The only difference in track and field is that there is an objective way of measuring excellence. Football, on the other hand, is a tad different... A national team coach does not have the luxury of teaching a player the technical rudiments of the game. They are expected to have learned those at their respective clubs.

What the NFF should do is to keep sanitizing Youth football and getting rid of age frauds. So when we see a 'young' player we can genuinely be excited about his prospects... scouts can pick them up and send them to teams where their football education will continue. The NPFL should also play a role by marketing their stars. They should be the ones trumpeting how good their players are. I haven't seen a match day advertorial in Naija or online advertising or promoting a player as a star attraction... it is the usual Naija, "trust me, we have good players..."

Good players are not "Choosin materials", guys who can juggle from sun up to sun down but can't do a basic pass and move or know how to hold a line...

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

One last word...
No Nigerian anywhere should be discriminated against.

Just as no Nigerian (defined as any human being legally possessing a Nigerian passport or otherwise legally entitled to one) should be discriminated against on account that he was born abroad or have some foreign ancestry, neither should any Nigerian born and/or resident in Nigeria (with or without any foreign ancestry) be discriminated against on account of his or her residency in Nigeria or be required to first emigrate abroad just to qualify for the same sort of consideration and opportunities accorded others! SMDH

[Damunk]

For whatever reason, this very simple message seems very difficult for many to understand.
Most baffling are some of those living abroad displaying a misplaced sense of patriotism by questioning the true identity of their 'own' foreign-born kids or even those kids of mixed race heritage.

Maybe its just overcompensation for a guilt complex which itself has no foundation.

As for DAMUNK, only the Good Lord can explain what he’s going on about but seems like deep-seated complex issues. SMH

You must be tired like you said.
Go and sleep.
When you wake up and you still can't figure out what I've said above, then we'll know there's a problem.

[Damunk]

I used to be an advocate for including local players in the National team set up. This was until I moved to Naijaria and tried watching league games and practices.

Yes, there are naturally talented players with exquisite ball juggling skills but there are just raw. People used to laugh and snicker that a player can go overseas and train for one month and become a 'better' player but it very likely to happen. It happens because you get not just proper training but you get improvement in nutrition and other physiological aspects of being a footballer/athlete.

We badly need a "Technical Director" for our National Team program. The age-grade teams still remain the major platform from whence we see players who might make the transition from a local based player to an international-based player and then to the National team. Until then, we are left to use players who are fundamentally sound in the tactical aspect of the game over those who might have way better raw talent.

Other African teams are faced with the same problems. Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and CIV have a significant diaspora community who play football and their FAs face the same issue with folks questioning if they are 'authentic' enough.

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

More and more of our skilled labour in ALL facets of human endeavor are based overseas... so why should it be different with Football? So their kids assuming they are good enough should not see Naijaria as an option.

Naijaria should see the number of Naijarians (kids of Naijarian parentage) playing in the NFL (National Football League). They are prized athletes. They are also in the NCAAs dominating and excelling in track and field, basketball, etc... should they also be discriminated against? The only difference in track and field is that there is an objective way of measuring excellence. Football, on the other hand, is a tad different... A national team coach does not have the luxury of teaching a player the technical rudiments of the game. They are expected to have learned those at their respective clubs.

What the NFF should do is to keep sanitizing Youth football and getting rid of age frauds. So when we see a 'young' player we can genuinely be excited about his prospects... scouts can pick them up and send them to teams where their football education will continue. The NPFL should also play a role by marketing their stars. They should be the ones trumpeting how good their players are. I haven't seen a match day advertorial in Naija or online advertising or promoting a player as a star attraction... it is the usual Naija, "trust me, we have good players..."

Good players are not "Choosin materials", guys who can juggle from sun up to sun down but can't do a basic pass and move or know how to hold a line...

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

One last word...
No Nigerian anywhere should be discriminated against.

Just as no Nigerian (defined as any human being legally possessing a Nigerian passport or otherwise legally entitled to one) should be discriminated against on account that he was born abroad or have some foreign ancestry, neither should any Nigerian born and/or resident in Nigeria (with or without any foreign ancestry) be discriminated against on account of his or her residency in Nigeria or be required to first emigrate abroad just to qualify for the same sort of consideration and opportunities accorded others! SMDH

Houston we have a problem.
Is this supposed to be a deduction from Cellular's post?

[Cellular]

I used to be an advocate for including local players in the National team set up. This was until I moved to Naijaria and tried watching league games and practices.

Yes, there are naturally talented players with exquisite ball juggling skills but there are just raw. People used to laugh and snicker that a player can go overseas and train for one month and become a 'better' player but it very likely to happen. It happens because you get not just proper training but you get improvement in nutrition and other physiological aspects of being a footballer/athlete.

We badly need a "Technical Director" for our National Team program. The age-grade teams still remain the major platform from whence we see players who might make the transition from a local based player to an international-based player and then to the National team. Until then, we are left to use players who are fundamentally sound in the tactical aspect of the game over those who might have way better raw talent.

Other African teams are faced with the same problems. Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and CIV have a significant diaspora community who play football and their FAs face the same issue with folks questioning if they are 'authentic' enough.

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

More and more of our skilled labour in ALL facets of human endeavor are based overseas... so why should it be different with Football? So their kids assuming they are good enough should not see Naijaria as an option.

Naijaria should see the number of Naijarians (kids of Naijarian parentage) playing in the NFL (National Football League). They are prized athletes. They are also in the NCAAs dominating and excelling in track and field, basketball, etc... should they also be discriminated against? The only difference in track and field is that there is an objective way of measuring excellence. Football, on the other hand, is a tad different... A national team coach does not have the luxury of teaching a player the technical rudiments of the game. They are expected to have learned those at their respective clubs.

What the NFF should do is to keep sanitizing Youth football and getting rid of age frauds. So when we see a 'young' player we can genuinely be excited about his prospects... scouts can pick them up and send them to teams where their football education will continue. The NPFL should also play a role by marketing their stars. They should be the ones trumpeting how good their players are. I haven't seen a match day advertorial in Naija or online advertising or promoting a player as a star attraction... it is the usual Naija, "trust me, we have good players..."

Good players are not "Choosin materials", guys who can juggle from sun up to sun down but can't do a basic pass and move or know how to hold a line...

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

For whatever reason, this very simple message seems very difficult for many to understand.
Most baffling are some of those living abroad displaying a misplaced sense of patriotism by questioning the true identity of their 'own' foreign-born kids or even those kids of mixed race heritage.

Maybe its just overcompensation for a guilt complex which itself has no foundation.

With all due respect, what a load of...

So you are saying that when those Nigerian coaches who played and trained abroad (and even gotten the ‘prized’ UEFA pro license that some on here often ejaculate over) return to Nigeria something in the weather evaporates their knowledge and they can no longer train their charges the “properly”? Anyway, I am way too tired (and frankly not particularly arsed about this banal line of discourse) to bother with a proper deconstruction. Suffice it to note though that the so-called “proper” training of football players have no geographic domicile. Anywhere on the face of the globe (yes, even in Nigeria) that there is a “proper” coach, there is corollarily “proper” training.

Yes, many of Nigeria’s “best” professionals (including footballers) AS A GENERAL CLASS (and not every single one of them) often invariably end up (or start off) abroad - but that’s primarily for ECONOMIC and familial reasons. Nonetheless, being abroad is NOT necessarily the primary reason for their development into “better” professionals. Rather, sometimes younger professionals/players just get better as they become more experienced and mature. Furthermore, personal and professional development has always at its core been INDIVIDUAL. Accordingly, MANY (if not more) players end up as much as much POORER players abroad than when they started locally.

As for DAMUNK, only the Good Lord can explain what he’s going on about but seems like deep-seated complex issues. SMH

Chief Gotti, is the National Team supposed to be a place for discovering and developing talent? The issue with team selection lies with NFF (in terms of philosophy) and the coach. I say the NFF because they ultimately decide on the criteria the coach is judged or measured. So if the coach is not judged by the bottomline (wins and losses) then he can afford to try local talent.

I used to be a very strong advocate for locally-based players until recently. I don't really want to go into what my own personal anecdotal experience was. But we really need to clean up how we keep records in the country. I will see a footballer who I swear is an excellent footballer and on further enquiry find out that he misses the age bracket that will make him a quality investment. And it is no fault of theirs. Most go into the football wilderness and toil and toil seeking for competent representation and by the time they get that type of representation, it is extremely challenging to find someone who will be willing to invest in a 'matured' asset. We just have to do better... the country has failed a lot of promising talent. We have to find a way to address this challenge.

As for your talk about the players who move abroad ending up becoming poorer players. Duh! It depends on what you term 'poorer' players. They might coach the spontaneity out of them... but they do coach consistency. Not try-your-luck football. For years there have been positions on the team due to prejudice that teams refuse to play Africans in... I have followed coaches in other sports who say the same exact thing that in the pros, it is not about getting it right it is about reducing the number of times you get it wrong. We like flair, we like players who players with flair. Brazilians and their FA have a running battle about the 'un-Brazilianess' of their teams. But they too have realized that football is changing... that being more efficient with the ball wins you more games as teams have found ways to contain teams that play with flair (giving up possession and reducing the space the teams have to play with in the offensive third of the field).

We don't have more quality players than Brazil. We don't have more quality players than Argentina. But they recognize that to get the best out of their players and for economic reasons, it is best to go overseas.

What the NFF and NPFL can do for football in Naijaria is to improve the documentation process in Naijaria.

So when you see a young talent on display, you have a degree of confidence that investing in such an asset will yield dividends in the long run.

[Cellular]

I used to be an advocate for including local players in the National team set up. This was until I moved to Naijaria and tried watching league games and practices.

Yes, there are naturally talented players with exquisite ball juggling skills but there are just raw. People used to laugh and snicker that a player can go overseas and train for one month and become a 'better' player but it very likely to happen. It happens because you get not just proper training but you get improvement in nutrition and other physiological aspects of being a footballer/athlete.

We badly need a "Technical Director" for our National Team program. The age-grade teams still remain the major platform from whence we see players who might make the transition from a local based player to an international-based player and then to the National team. Until then, we are left to use players who are fundamentally sound in the tactical aspect of the game over those who might have way better raw talent.

Other African teams are faced with the same problems. Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and CIV have a significant diaspora community who play football and their FAs face the same issue with folks questioning if they are 'authentic' enough.

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

More and more of our skilled labour in ALL facets of human endeavor are based overseas... so why should it be different with Football? So their kids assuming they are good enough should not see Naijaria as an option.

Naijaria should see the number of Naijarians (kids of Naijarian parentage) playing in the NFL (National Football League). They are prized athletes. They are also in the NCAAs dominating and excelling in track and field, basketball, etc... should they also be discriminated against? The only difference in track and field is that there is an objective way of measuring excellence. Football, on the other hand, is a tad different... A national team coach does not have the luxury of teaching a player the technical rudiments of the game. They are expected to have learned those at their respective clubs.

What the NFF should do is to keep sanitizing Youth football and getting rid of age frauds. So when we see a 'young' player we can genuinely be excited about his prospects... scouts can pick them up and send them to teams where their football education will continue. The NPFL should also play a role by marketing their stars. They should be the ones trumpeting how good their players are. I haven't seen a match day advertorial in Naija or online advertising or promoting a player as a star attraction... it is the usual Naija, "trust me, we have good players..."

Good players are not "Choosin materials", guys who can juggle from sun up to sun down but can't do a basic pass and move or know how to hold a line...

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

One last word...
No Nigerian anywhere should be discriminated against.

Just as no Nigerian (defined as any human being legally possessing a Nigerian passport or otherwise legally entitled to one) should be discriminated against on account that he was born abroad or have some foreign ancestry, neither should any Nigerian born and/or resident in Nigeria (with or without any foreign ancestry) be discriminated against on account of his or her residency in Nigeria or be required to first emigrate abroad just to qualify for the same sort of consideration and opportunities accorded others! SMDH

Chief Gotti, yes, there's descrimination. I totally agree. But Naijaria is a highly competitive place. To get most lucrative jobs (I am assuming playing for the National team is one of those jobs), you need a foreign Master's degree. It differentiates you from the rest of the people applying for the job. That is the norm now in Naijaria whether it is right or wrong. That is the standard.

Football is no different. Folks tell you in Naijaria, if you say you are as good a footballer as you say you are, you won't be playing in Naijaria.

And I do agree that it is just fate and circumstances...


CAF recognizes this unfortunate dichotomy and instituted the African Nations Championships to give locally-based players to showcase their skills. The aim is to provide these players with a platform to push for inclusion in their respective national teams. How we take advantage of such opportunities is entirely up to us. It starts with an FA that has to decide if winning or identification of talent is the goal.

[Bigpokey24]

The great Senegalese team of the early 2000s was full of Parisian kids. We might overrate "Africa" as an obstacle, after wen there was a World Cup in Africa Spain won it.

Another false and fake info parroted by the clueless eyeservice kalani... smh ..you need to go back and figure out the birth of those players

I didn't say born there you chumpheaded buffoon, many were raised there, Fadiga, Beye, Aliou Cisse, Diatta, Coly ...

Stick to responding to your fellow fools.

Talk about gaslighting you take the cake for the slowest and ITK ( actually you know nothing ) Constantly you try so hard to fit in trying to delude yourself thinking you are smart...whereas you exposed your folly... No matter how hard you try you still come across as someone who is so out of touch ...now from being born in France the joker now claims oops they were raised in France so unintelligent

[Bigpokey24]

I used to be an advocate for including local players in the National team set up. This was until I moved to Naijaria and tried watching league games and practices.

Yes, there are naturally talented players with exquisite ball juggling skills but there are just raw. People used to laugh and snicker that a player can go overseas and train for one month and become a 'better' player but it very likely to happen. It happens because you get not just proper training but you get improvement in nutrition and other physiological aspects of being a footballer/athlete.

We badly need a "Technical Director" for our National Team program. The age-grade teams still remain the major platform from whence we see players who might make the transition from a local based player to an international-based player and then to the National team. Until then, we are left to use players who are fundamentally sound in the tactical aspect of the game over those who might have way better raw talent.

Other African teams are faced with the same problems. Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and CIV have a significant diaspora community who play football and their FAs face the same issue with folks questioning if they are 'authentic' enough.

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

More and more of our skilled labour in ALL facets of human endeavor are based overseas... so why should it be different with Football? So their kids assuming they are good enough should not see Naijaria as an option.

Naijaria should see the number of Naijarians (kids of Naijarian parentage) playing in the NFL (National Football League). They are prized athletes. They are also in the NCAAs dominating and excelling in track and field, basketball, etc... should they also be discriminated against? The only difference in track and field is that there is an objective way of measuring excellence. Football, on the other hand, is a tad different... A national team coach does not have the luxury of teaching a player the technical rudiments of the game. They are expected to have learned those at their respective clubs.

What the NFF should do is to keep sanitizing Youth football and getting rid of age frauds. So when we see a 'young' player we can genuinely be excited about his prospects... scouts can pick them up and send them to teams where their football education will continue. The NPFL should also play a role by marketing their stars. They should be the ones trumpeting how good their players are. I haven't seen a match day advertorial in Naija or online advertising or promoting a player as a star attraction... it is the usual Naija, "trust me, we have good players..."

Good players are not "Choosin materials", guys who can juggle from sun up to sun down but can't do a basic pass and move or know how to hold a line...

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

For whatever reason, this very simple message seems very difficult for many to understand.
Most baffling are some of those living abroad displaying a misplaced sense of patriotism by questioning the true identity of their 'own' foreign-born kids or even those kids of mixed race heritage.

Maybe its just overcompensation for a guilt complex which itself has no foundation.

With all due respect, what a load of...

So you are saying that when those Nigerian coaches who played and trained abroad (and even gotten the ‘prized’ UEFA pro license that some on here often ejaculate over) return to Nigeria something in the weather evaporates their knowledge and they can no longer train their charges the “properly”? Anyway, I am way too tired (and frankly not particularly arsed about this banal line of discourse) to bother with a proper deconstruction. Suffice it to note though that the so-called “proper” training of football players have no geographic domicile. Anywhere on the face of the globe (yes, even in Nigeria) that there is a “proper” coach, there is corollarily “proper” training.

Yes, many of Nigeria’s “best” professionals (including footballers) AS A GENERAL CLASS (and not every single one of them) often invariably end up (or start off) abroad - but that’s primarily for ECONOMIC and familial reasons. Nonetheless, being abroad is NOT necessarily the primary reason for their development into “better” professionals. Rather, sometimes younger professionals/players just get better as they become more experienced and mature. Furthermore, personal and professional development has always at its core been INDIVIDUAL. Accordingly, MANY (if not more) players end up as much as much POORER players abroad than when they started locally.

As for DAMUNK, only the Good Lord can explain what he’s going on about but seems like deep-seated complex issues. SMH

pray for him, the guy has lost it... constantly exposing his low understanding of life... kai...I used to just joke and ignore some of his comments but the guy really no be am at all

[Bigpokey24]

. . . it is also a vastly different squad from any in the country's history. In 70 years of international football, Nigeria has never featured a squad that is so dependent on players with dual citizenship, many born outside Africa. That very characteristic is claimed to be the biggest asset of this team. The fans believe that players bred in Nigeria lack appropriate football education required to compete with the best in the world. But the rough and tumble of African soccer may well challenge that claim and that is where the Sierra Leonians step up.

Then there is a psychological strength that is required to achieve a measure of consistency in the face of a different style of balling. The likes of Ebuehi, Iwobi, and Aina have clearly stories to tell about their initial starts for Nigeria and the challenges. The African arena presents a football education that isn't easily grasped in a European academy. If you cannot adapt to it, if you cannot re-learn some of the other European football education, and if you cannot man-up in the continental African style then the results may be bleak.

Details can be found here:

https://eaglecity.blogspot.com/2020/03/ ... -team.html

I used to be an advocate for including local players in the National team set up. This was until I moved to Naijaria and tried watching league games and practices.

Yes, there are naturally talented players with exquisite ball juggling skills but there are just raw. People used to laugh and snicker that a player can go overseas and train for one month and become a 'better' player but it very likely to happen. It happens because you get not just proper training but you get improvement in nutrition and other physiological aspects of being a footballer/athlete.

We badly need a "Technical Director" for our National Team program. The age-grade teams still remain the major platform from whence we see players who might make the transition from a local based player to an international-based player and then to the National team. Until then, we are left to use players who are fundamentally sound in the tactical aspect of the game over those who might have way better raw talent.

Other African teams are faced with the same problems. Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and CIV have a significant diaspora community who play football and their FAs face the same issue with folks questioning if they are 'authentic' enough.

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

More and more of our skilled labour in ALL facets of human endeavor are based overseas... so why should it be different with Football? So their kids assuming they are good enough should not see Naijaria as an option.

Naijaria should see the number of Naijarians (kids of Naijarian parentage) playing in the NFL (National Football League). They are prized athletes. They are also in the NCAAs dominating and excelling in track and field, basketball, etc... should they also be discriminated against? The only difference in track and field is that there is an objective way of measuring excellence. Football, on the other hand, is a tad different... A national team coach does not have the luxury of teaching a player the technical rudiments of the game. They are expected to have learned those at their respective clubs.

What the NFF should do is to keep sanitizing Youth football and getting rid of age frauds. So when we see a 'young' player we can genuinely be excited about his prospects... scouts can pick them up and send them to teams where their football education will continue. The NPFL should also play a role by marketing their stars. They should be the ones trumpeting how good their players are. I haven't seen a match day advertorial in Naija or online advertising or promoting a player as a star attraction... it is the usual Naija, "trust me, we have good players..."

Good players are not "Choosin materials", guys who can juggle from sun up to sun down but can't do a basic pass and move or know how to hold a line...

The world is changing. We better adapt or be left behind...

prepaid, how many times i call ya name? just once ....on a normal circumstance , i would have called it 3 times....Raw talent will always be there , be it local of foreign. I do not agree that foreign players are better than Locals( especially if both parties are on a level playing field ) what you failed to include in your piece , is "MONEY"..that factors a lot ...The amount of money invested in sports in the WEST is no joke. You have folks making big time money training and creating programs for the development of sports...however back home players aren't that fortunate due to hardship etc. Take those locals abroad and see them perform

The issue is some Nigerians have this mentality that everything foreign is better ,,this has been embedded in the heads of folks for many years