Football fans in Ebonyi have
urged Super Eagles players to be wary of the monetary enticement of the Chinese
league if they are to maintain their relevance.
The fans told the News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abakaliki that the recent dropping of
Chinese-based players from theation’s national team ahead of its upcoming
friendlies was an indication that Coach Gernot Rohr would only use players
active in competitive leagues.
Emmanuel Utobo, the Director of
Sports in the state, said the exodus of Eagles players to China should be
stopped in order not to jeopardise the country’s chances of qualifying for the
Russia 2018 World Cup and the African Cup of Nationa competitions.
“Captain Mikel Obi might
have sought permission to be excused from the matches, but Rohr used the
opportunity to ignore Odion Ighalo and Brown Ideye.
“Ighalo and Ideye are not regulars in Rohr’s team and if the
newly-invited players excel during the friendlies, it will be el-dorado for the
duo,’’ he said.
A former U-23 team invitee, Julius Okpo, noted that the Chinese
and other Asian leagues were reserved for players retiring from the sport.
“Players such as Carlos Tevez among others can afford to play in
China but not for young players who need to be relevant in the game.
“Most of the players currently playing in the Nigerian senior
national team were discovered through the attention they attracted from Europe
but it will be difficult to monitor such performances in China,’’ Okpo said.
Another fan and Nnewi United FC Goalkeeper, Emeka Ihejioto, told
NAN that Rohr would not take the gamble of inviting players from
non-competitive leagues to prosecute the upcoming qualifiers.
“Cameroon is in top form and the pressure of qualifying for AFCON
2019 after two successive misses is much for Rohr to gamble with. “The Super
Eagles cause is not helped with most of their players not playing regularly for
their clubs.
“So the Chinese league issue is detrimental,” Ihejioto said. Chief
Tom Ezeakum, a hotelier and Soccer buff, commended Rohr for listening to
stakeholders and for sticking with his regular players for the friendlies
instead of experimenting.
“There are few matches for the team to play before confronting
South Africa and Cameroon. “So consolidating with the regulars is a welcome
development. “He should also listen to calls to involve more home-based players
in his plans because most of them deserve places in the team,’’ Ezeakum said.
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