Akwa United star striker Edidiong Ezekiel has clamoured for more home-based players to be given a chance in the Super Eagles.
Ezekiel made this known in an exclusive interview with completesports.com in Uyo, ahead of the Super Eagles 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lesotho on Thursday.
The Eagles team that will take on Lesotho and Zimbabwe is made up mostly of foreign-based players.
Also Read: 2026 WCQ: Qualifying For 2026 World Cup Will Be Too Ambitious For Us —Lesotho Coach, Notsi Admits
Goalkeepers Olorunleke Ojo and Amas Obasogie are the only two home-based players in the team.
Obasogie was brought on as a late replacement for Maduka Okoye, who had passport issues.
According to Ezekiel, who was part of the home-based team that lost 2-0 to Costa Rica in a friendly game in November 2022, the local league has top, quality players.
“First, I want to say a big congratulations to the two invitees, it’s a dream for every player to represent his country,” the former U-23 Eagles star began.
Ezekiel with former Arsenal forward Joel Campbell
“Speaking of the home-based players not having much opportunities in the Super Eagles we are anticipating that we all get invited because as players we are hoping to get to the top so I believe my time will come. What I do is I keep pushing giving out my best knowing that my time will come.
“Players in the local league are top players, they are very good players. So what I can say is that this year the league is improving, our games are on TV which is a massive opportunity for me and every player out there to showcase their talent.”
Ezekiel battling with a Costa Rica player in a friendly game
Ezekiel expresses confidence that the NFF and the current coach (Jose Peseiro) of the Super Eagles will continue to look at the home-based players which will open the way for the opportunity to get called up.
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COMMENTS
At the expense of who?I am afraid lad,work hard market self to a foreign club,improve your game and hit the headline before you think of being part of the super eagles.
Good luck!
Go and prove yourself first at the continental level before thinking of any sort of consideration. I wonder what u People take the super eagles for, a kindergarten for up coming non performing players and coaches or what???? U should be so ashamed to even clamour for homebased consideration in the eagles going your shambolic performance at continental tournaments. You must prove yourself first, give the handlers of the senior team a strong reason why you should be considered based on performance, rating in Africa and results. Like my brother up there asked, at the expense of who????? You’d better go and work on yourselves instead of hallucinating about being included in the senior team.
Criminals are now talking CS why are you entertaining this Clown??? These guys who are dishonest yet they will not politely allow talented footballers to play because of their Godfatherism. The local league is starving of talented players because of dishonest coaches and players. Real ballers are not given a chance because of so called lack of connection, if we don’t arrest this situation then we will not make progress as a nation because mostly talented players will not pay their way because talented players are mostly from a poor background. For now NPFL needs healing.
The only outfield player that can be invited at a point was Imade of Insurance before he left the league and now Amas the rest of you are clowns except very few I hope you people don’t Daga with your nonsense football that you can not win any continental competition for more than 10years. This guy is on wee!!!
CHAN is the ideal platform for home based players.
Having said that, if a home based player can show that he is the best we have in his position, he will be called up. As our elders say, if a boy washes his hands, he may eat with kings.
If Mbappe or Haaland or even Mitrovic were Nigerians playing in the local league, they would be in the SE camp right now. Of course, before you can say OKOKOMAIKO, they would have become foreign based because of their talent. Talent will always go were the money is.
So your task now, if you choose to accept it, is to provide evidence that you’re better than the strikers currently in SE camp.
Best wishes as you go about doing that!
NPFL now hasn’t strong base to make players to do thier career professionally , cause NPFL clubs haven’t good potentials just like good pitches with international specs, haven’t good fiscal center to administerate thier clubs just like buying great players to cash them, cashing players wages and bonuses on time, cost of travel expenses whom these clubs can’t pay; this cause these clubs do not accommodate thier fiscal position , so the players abandon thier clubs to join better clubs in Europe or North or South Africa, so local players now can not offer good quality to Super Eagles cause they are lacking professionalism, good value, good organzition and administeration at thier clubs, so now SE coach must not summon weak local players, but he can summon talented of them.