Former Kwara United coach, Samson Unuanel has urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to give Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro the freedom to select his team for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Recall that Nigeria ended their campaign in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series in grand style after thrashing Sao Tome 6-0 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.
The Super Eagles also finished as group leaders with 15 points from six matches ahead of Guinea Bissau that finished second with 13 points.
Read Also: AFCON 2023: Peseiro To Submit Super Eagles List January 3
However, with the team set to announce the final list for the tournament before January 3, 2024, Unuanel in a chat with Completesports.com said that the Portuguese tactician should be allowed to pick his strong team for the tournament.
He also insisted that the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) players have not been given enough opportunity to prove their worth in the Super Eagles.
“We have materials on ground both at home and abroad. But we must give Peseiro the opportunity to pick his team and let him work on his team without any form interference.
“Again, we have not been sincere to home based players. That is why we see them going to a lesser league to make ends meet. Most of the home based players are dying away.
“The truth is that we always believe every match we must win so the idea of inviting the foreign professionals at the expense of the home based players. But if want to build a team you must be ready to lose a match, make corrections and give the home based opportunity to learn.”
By Augustine Akhilomen
15 Comments
Unuanel, sorry. Super Eagles is not the place to learn. Homebased players are not good enough for the senior national team.
Unuanel, sorry. Super Eagles is not a place to learn. Homebased players are not good enough for the senior national team.
This guy is another of the undercover enemies of our football – Anybody advocating for
“materials on ground at home” apart from maybe in the goalkeeping department is not wishing the nation well – How can you say one good thing and then immediately spoil with ten bad things?
Typical Nigerian, maybe plotting to open backdoor for “egunje” – Mr man abeg leave story please!
Home material on ground ko, groundnuts ni!
Please take this guy’s talk with a pinch of salt – if at all, Yes leave Paseiro to pick his strongest team without any fear or favour or any external/internal input from anybody at all, but no way can we be making any special concessions just to accommodate any home based – If the strongest, best performers in any departments in the team can be found among the home based then so be it, but just leave him alone and let him pick the strongest team and that alone will guarantee our success.
Finally, and at risk of sounding like a broken record, I genuinely think that our best goalkeeper currently is among the home based guys but that is all, I do not see any home based outfield player good enough for the team currently.
I rest my own case!
Thumb up for you…… How can anyone be advocating for any home based player at this point. Every football league all over the world have started a new season except for Nigerian League and how do we hope for a home based player to measure up if at all invited to super eagles camp when the foreign based players are very far ahead in terms of match fitness…. Our home based players are rusty and can never measure up and inviting them is share waste of time, energy and resources….. A share distraction……. Or is he advocating for concession for the home players? If he is doing that, then we are imposing players on him and apparently, he will not be selecting the best to play for the National team…..
Thumbs up Brotherman @General Johnbob. Only the best legs are to be considered for Nigeria. People must speak the truth.
Corrupt NFF will not allow him to do his job! Those Corrupt guys in NFF have their own Boyz, so everybody should forget about this man picking his team
You guys have said it all but we have to look at one department which is the goalkeeping department which the home base keepers can compete for a place I think they can give the chance.
I can’t believe these crooked people have not hidden thier head in shame after their countless mumu advice almost cost us our stature as a giant or Football in Africa. And in our Current Golden generation. Oga Normally in another Generation like 10yrs ago then Maybe Home-based can compete with Our Foriegn based but this current foreign based is blessed with a hand ful of elite potential and still the lessor ones are still ahead of the home-based. Good thing Pesiero is overseeing Chan too because that is where HOMEBASED should cut thiee teeth first and club continental championship Persiero knows this please allow this man do his Job. In peace can you believe these people so A door away from Afcon and WC qualifiers these mugu corrupt pigs are advocating that we should be prepared to lose a match or two Chai!!!. Wonders shall never end. Oga which match should we loose when we are trying to climb up the FiFA rankings and save face as well win Caf and qualify for for WC 2026 which match should we be prepared to lose Oga Unuael?? TELL US!!!!.. can you people not see these people have lost thier minds?. God forbid!!!!.
Thumbs up brotherman @Ugo. How someone will call for homebase players is a joke. These people need to live in the real world.
Igeria is not a country that chooses anything on merit, hence the interferences by diverse interest groups. No wonder Nigeria is 6th on the African continent.
So a former coach can spit this kind of nonsense and foolishness. Incentives and bribes, definitely, have depreciated his thinking
Local players are not in high form cause NPLF is beginning now , also the leauge is a weak one that produces less players who can’t perform well as high quality players from Europe who have high stamina force, have quality , play in an international high quality in football; so in this time local players can’t compete for joining Super Eagles team.
SE no be football academy. It’s for the best of the best.
We don talk taya.
LOCATION DOES NOT MATTER. TALENT AND ABILITY DOES.
If our best striker is based in Ajegunle, select him.
If he is based in Italy, select him.
Select only the best players strictly on merit.
Home based players! Where is the league? What happens to the officiating? What about their performance in CHAN, U23, CAF club competitions? They were kicked out by countries that can be consider minors in football…like Niger, Benin, & Togo.
Do you want to tell me that we can’t find good players playing at home? The problem is that they will not select the good ones at home,they will select their own that’s the problem not that we don’t have talent at home