Super Eagles interim head coach Austine Eguavoen has defended the non- inclusion of more home-based players in his squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, reports Completesports.com.
Eguavoen included just one player, John Noble, a goalkeeper, with two-time African champions Enyimba in his 28-man squad for the competition.
“The challenge for us is the little time we have to prepare for the competition. That didn’t give us room to invite more home-based players,” the former defender told a press conference on Tuesday.
“I initially wanted to include four or five players from the NPFL in the team, but there was no way we could do that with the limited time we have to prepare for the competition.
”During Keshi’s time, they had enough time to prepare the team. The team spent quality time together and also played friendly games.”
The Eagles will open their 2021 AFCON campaign next Tuesday against seven-time champions Egypt.
Sudan and Guinea Bisau are the other teams in Group D.
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COMMENTS
There should be quota stystem foreign or home players. We need players with hunger and certain characteristics. It doesn’t matter WHR they play. That’s is the paradigm that made Clemens westerhof very successful. I remember at a point someone like Uche Okafor was clubless but kept his place in the first 11 cos he was so good and dependable. Even Ukechukwu Uche wasn’t playing in a top five league ,to mention but a few. So for me let’s forget this craze for quota system . All we need is a Vision. Then go for players to help actualise it. Westerhof love big tall players with skills and technique. And certain players that did not possess this qualities were left out irrespective of WHR they play. I remember the comment he made when he watched Omokachi in Ranchers bees. He said I have found a bull. That’s the type of coach we want. Someone with a vision and style then go for players that will help actualize it.
There should be NO quota system I mean to say.
@Four four two, do you really know what “NO QUOTA SYSTEM” mean?
Because if you do, you wouldn’t post that comment.
KESHI INCLUDED LIKE FIVE HOMEBASE PLAYERS TO WIN AFCON IN 2013. BUT YOU EQUAVOEN, WHY CAN’T YOU INCLUDING TEN HOMEBASE PLAYERS IN YOUR TEAM SO THAT YOU TOO WILL WIN AFCON. AND YOU PEOPLE ARE BLAMING GERNOT ROHR FOR NOT GIVING HOMEBASE EAGLE CHANCES IN SUPER EAGLE SQUAD. GOD WILL JUDGE ALL OF YOU.
How many games have HB players played in the last 6 months? Or even 12 months? The NPFL has been inactive for over a year, yet you want to win the AFCON with 10 HB players in the squad, who haven’t even played up to 4 matches all year long? Seriously?
Do some of you even bother to think before you post things here?
Coach Eguavoen only had 16 days to prepare the team. You could see how little minded some people reason.
Let the home based win CHAN first and then they can have a fighting chance to enter the main competition.
KEshi went to CHAN and got silver before going to aFCON and won gold
Apt.
Some of us are already looking beyound Afcon 2022 knowing time is of immense essence. I don’t know how long it’s going to take the Sports Ministry to kick start the process. Our Sports Administrators are presently looking into the Belgium Blueprint, they will have to come up with a time tested football programme spanning over few years to reengineer the entire process. Without enough time, the coaching crew can’t do much. That is for a fact unless the country decides to continue beating about the bush which is exactly where we are today. The right decisions being taken timely is the way to go. Eguavoen mentioned he didn’t have time to source for more players from the local league, that we all know is true, but I would need him to work out an arrangement to delegate some of his subordinates to the grassroots to discover hidden talents from our communities/ villages and tertiary institutions inclusive. This would also engage our youths, make them to be useful to their societies and of course, takes them away from acts of criminalities, an idle mind. The BB is a win win situation.
Home base need time to expose them which Eguaveon does not have so I accept his explanation.
Amaju said Rohr had omitted Dennis in the 37 man squad initially…. Now who is lying? Is NFF defecting the blame to Rohr or what? One thing I know is that Amaju sooner or later has to go he will destroy our football.
We don’t need excuses.what is good for the goose is good for the gander
There is no time for bickering.The same rules and expectations apply to all-rohr,Eguavoen or any other coach.It is the cup or nothing.Any other outcome is unacceptable
Hahahaha….the liar’s witness is always in heaven. Rohr is no longer here to defend himself so they can tell all sorts of lies about him.
Did Rohr also omit Ighalo’s name too, now that Ighalo’s club is also cashing in on the lateness of arrival of his invitation letter to stop him from going to the AFCON too…..LMAOoooooo.
Why did the NFF never officially release Nigeria’s own provisional list to this AFCON……a big question that is still begging for answer..!
What about those who where never even listed at all (the phone call and wild card players) but made the FINAL 28 MAN SQUAD. How come their own letters where not late…..LMAOooooo
Rohr granted an interview with Elegbete which is still there on youtube were he stated expressly that he submitted a 40 man list….The screenshot dug up from CAF archives shows a list of 40 players submitted, including some names which were deleted from the 37 man list that was later “leaked” to the public.
It is now so easy for them to tell lies, since everything was shrouded in secrecy from the get go.
Amaju is just a criminal typical of most politicians in the wrong office. This man is a lunatic.
Well he is not blind, and no one is holding his tongue to speak his own side. oga go back to your cave if you have nothing meaningful to add. Let him furnish the list he had for us to see. i don forget say u be his parrot
WE ONLY LIKE TO DECIEVE OURSELF AND PLAY POLITICS CONCERNING THE ISSUE OF HOMEBASE PLAYERS IN SUPER EAGLE. LET TELL OURSELVES TRUTH, WHICH ANY OF THE HOMEBASE PLAYERS CAN DISPLACE THIRD FRINGE PLAYERS IN SUPER EAGLE FOR NOW. THE HOMEBASE PLAYERS THAT CANNOT DEFEATED THEIR FOLLOW COUNTERPART IN U-23 AFCON & CHAN, AND YOU WANT THEM TO BE USE FOR WORLD CUP & AFCON QUALIFIERS.
**EVEN THE HOMEBASE PLAYERS DETECTED C.WESTERHOFF IN 1990’S CAN PROUD OF FOR NEXT FIVE YEARS (E.g. Amokachi,Finidi,Shorunmu e.t.c.). BUT HOMEBASE PLAYERS DETECTED BY KESHI IN 2013 AFCON WINNING CANNOT BE PROUD OF FOR NEXT ONE YEAR. OR DID I LIE. WHERE IS SUNDAY UBA, CHIDOZIE AGBIM, UZOENYI AFTER ONE YEAR. THEY ALL FADED AWAY.
LET BE USING HOMEBASE PLAYERS FOR CHAN COMPETITION & BETTER ONE SHOULD BE INVITED TO CONTEST FOR SHIRT WITH FRINGE(not regular) PLAYERS IN SUPER EAGLE.
WE DON’T NEED A HOME BASED QUOTA IN THE SE!
Inviting a player to the SE just because they are home based is ludicrous, if the invitation is not driven by merit.
Besides, home based today will become foreign based tomorrow. What do we do if the home based player leaves the country to play elsewhere? Replace him with another home based?
If a home based player shows that he’s equal to or better than his foreign based colleagues, his invitation will come naturally.
SELECTION SHOULD BE BASED ON MERIT, NOT LOCATION.
That’s the beauty of the Belgium blueprint Mr. Pius Obemhen is espousing. I just read it and it is a continuous process.
Eguavoen is full of shit, I still go back to his views and comments about the home based players being thought how to trap a ball while in Eagles camp (2006) when the league was better than what it is now.
He was a willing tool used by pinnick and his cronies to frustrate Rohr and destabilize the Eagles. They blamed him for not improving Nigerian league and for keeping the home based players out of the Eagles only for Eguavouen to come in and draw up a list of home based players he claimed to be ready to take along with him to Cameroon for AFCON after playing just one match in well over six months and we think he’s a serious individual?
You can make your comment without being abusive. That is the cheapest na. The interim Head Coach said if he had time, he would have invited more local players. Besides engaging other coaches, it is good enough for football development in the country.
Well said @pompei. Thanks for reiterating my thoughts and comment above
Now the same Eguavouen is telling us it’s not possible to take the players he drafted just two weeks ago to Cameroon any longer because of time factor. Did he not know nor that realize that when he made the list or did he forget his head in Pinnick’s butt hole ?
There is no day the local players will not come to play. I think the government needs to give them more time.
I watched the Amaju’s interview on Arise TV and it was an energy draining experience and left me a little bemused. I watched this man tell the entire country that for foreign Clubs that do not release players, they would in turn, prevent their players from signing for such clubs……ROTFL.
How can that be a solution? who stands to lose more? These are the people running our football! He was even stating it there that he will discuss with the CAF president…chai. Nigerian football in Amaju’s hands is in a dire state.
Anyway, @Four four two, that should be the way of doing things in any progressive country but in this clime, sentiments must play its part but we must not relent in advocating for the right things to be done. I do not care if you are igbo, hausa, yoruba, ibibio or wherever you come from, if you are the best the nation can present then you should be the one representing us. if you are an homebased player and you are the best, then you should represent us.
The team we put forth is a representation of the 300 million plus Nigerians and they carry our aspirations. Why do we want to be represented by mediocrity all in the name of a quota system.
More excerpts from the interview
” If you look at Peserio, when i was talking to him, he was talking as if he has been coaching the Super Eagles for a long time.
He said to me, listen, Nigeria, you played against croatia in your world cup opening match, they did not over dominate you.
It was 45% to 55% ball possession. He then said croatia eventually played in the final of the world cup, it could have been Nigeria playing in the final.
That maybe one or two things were not done properly”.
It is becoming embarrassing now hearing his interviews. I hope this is not the reason for giving the man the job. He simply told him what he wanted to hear like most people do when they go for interviews. “it could have been Nigeria playing in the final”… lol.. That Nigerian team had no chance of getting to the final. Nigerian football is in grave danger in this man’s hand.
Let the home based win CHAN first and then they can have a fighting chance to enter the main competition.
KEshi went to CHAN and got silver before going to aFCON and won gold
Everybody already knows to get good results from our coaches, they will need time to train the players but because of sentiment some would feel my own wasn’t given the chance to coach SE. This is part of their challenge.
Since Mr. Eguavoen said himself and his team didn’t have time, that means they need more time. Min. Sunday Dare whom I think is reading, should work out time on how to get local league players trained and exposed for the purpose.