Super Eagles Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, has defended his decision to overlook the players who feature in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), insisting that Nigeria’s best players are base4d in Europe.
Rohr only called up FC Ifeanyi Ubah goalkeeper, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, for the Eagles London camp sparking a clamour for the inclusion of more players who are based at home.
However, the experienced Franco-German coach has now passed a damning verdict on where Nigeria’s best players are based.
“Our best players are playing in Europe,” Rohr said.
“Senegal, who we played against in London had no local player. The big teams don’t have local players.”
The Eagles coach will, however, offer the home-based players a chance in the CHAN Eagles and also said he will be in Nigeria next week to watch some league matches with the hope of scouting more players for the national team.
“Next week I will be in Nigeria to see some games, I have watched some league games already, but the players there are not better than what we already have,” he said.
“The quality of the clubs could be seen from the African competitions where Wikki Tourists and FC Ifeanyi Ubah crashed out of the CAF Confederation Cup, while Rangers and Rivers United exited the Champions league”.
“The local players will feature in the CHAN,. We will see them there”, Rohr emphasized. - The Authority