The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has begun moves to ensure that the pair of Heracles Almelo forward, Cyriel Dessers and Reading midfielder, Ovie Ejaria get to play for the Super Eagles, Completesports.com reports.
There are valid reports the NFF is trying to convince both Ejaria and Dessers to switch international allegiance to Nigeria and have filed their applications to the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA).
One of Reading’s standout performers this term has been 22-year-old Ejaria, with the Liverpool loanee having lit up the Championship for much of the season so far since arriving at the Madejski Stadium last summer.
With three goals and three assists in 22 Championship outings, Ejaria has really thrived under the stewardship of Mark Bowen with the Welshman having deployed the youngster largely in a central midfield role that has given him licence to roam.
Ejaria will no doubt prove to be a key cog in any real push for the play-offs that Reading manage to pull off between now and the end of the season with the youngster offering both goals and creativity that will prove vital.
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This is what the NFF has seen and are already working on for the player to switch international allegiance to Nigeria, same as Dessers who has had a blistering campaign with Heracles in the Dutch Eredivisie.
Meanwhile, Belgian-born Dessers who is the current leading scorer in the Eredivisie with 12 goals in 18 games for Heracles has expressed his desire to represent Nigeria ahead of Belgium, having attracted interest from both nations.
He said: “After series of discussion with the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, I have decided to fully commit myself to Nigeria and the Super Eagles and I am going to work to be part of the team and fight for more successs for the country.”
By Oluyemi Ogunseyin
18 Comments
is a good move…Catch Dem early n young before it’s too late.. we need more discovery..Akpom,Eze n other good co.should b consider too..
Akpom has not done well enough to deserve a look in neither has Eze.Akpom has to score more.Five goals in twenty games in the Greek league isn’t good enough i’m afraid.Aside goal scoring i doubt Rohr will invite a player plying their trade in Greece unless the position is a goalkeeping one.
Super eagles is getting to that level where a player from Newcastle may not even have a chance.Eze may be doing well in Bulgaria but if he is that good scouts in the top five European leagues would have spotted him,a goldfish has no hiding place.
Meanwhile,Dessers has confirmed his readiness to be part of the super eagles but that cannot be said of Ejaria i’m concerned because English players of Nigeria decent allegiances to Nigeria aren’t guaranteed.
However,skilful Ejaria is a wanted player by Rohr i think they are very discreet about his pursuit probably why we are yet to hear from Ejaria.So,let say news of NFF submitting documents to FIFA on Ejaria’s switch is correct,meaning he’s complying with the Nigerian football authorities.This indeed is a very good news for the super eagles.
Having a midfield comprising Ejaria,Ndidi,Etebor,Iwobi and Aribo is a dream midfield.The future indeed is looking bright for the super eagles.
Ejaria is coming. But for Akpom, he lost that golden chance few years ago when he was approached. He could easily have been in same bracket with Iwobi but just got misguided. He only has himself to blame. Akpom, Iofa,n Jordan Ibe would have by now being the main men of the SE but they all took to bad advice. Imagine Iofa’s dad,advicing his son to wait for England’s call. Hopefully that comes his way soon.
It’s really a pity. Especially for Iorfa. At that time we were madly in need of a right full back and teenage Iorfa was holding his own in the championship for Wolverhampton Wanderers. He would have just walked straight into the team the way Jamilu Collins walked straight in and is still the only choice at the moment.
It’s a pity how that guy’s father misled him. Saying the guy will decide his own future when he is 23yrs old…. forgetting that 1 year is a long time in football, not to talk of 4 or 5 years. I hope that England call up will one day finaly come for that boy before he retires from football.
Akoom was never approached bro.
Akpom n Jordan Ibe were approached by Sunday Oliseh when he was SE coach but both Akpom n Ibe turned down Nigeria saying they wanna continue with their England carrier. Infact Akpom was even more uninterested than Ibe who pleaded with Oliseh to give him sometime,while Akpom made it clear he wanna go on with England. Again have you forgotten Akpom even visited the SE camp during one of our friendlies in England. He visited without any show or desire to commit to Nigeria. He has lost that golden chance presented to him. He just has to blame himself or maybe his dad.
Glory, his name is Jordan HYBE, not Ibe (the H is silent) 🙂 🙂 🙂
I no too blame am. Na condition make crayfish bend. You dey oyibo man country, so you have to make your name easier to pronounce. Koreans dey do am too. Imagine a chap named YOO JIN calling himself EUGENE. hAHAHAHAHA!
Hybe ko, pipe ni……as in waste pipe, lol!
Oboy na wa for some of these British born nijja pickin dem o.. Dia mumu dey designers blazers n shoes all d time. Worst still some of their parents come become more British than d English.
My people world cup is fast aproaching, we need our best legs to start preparation on time so that we can reach semifinals this time. Ghana and Senegal and Cameroun have reach that stage and Nigeria never close that stage thats why they are ahead of us. we need this guy Ovie Ejarie, the guy is a commander in Midfield, he dribble with pospose and pass with great vision. we need Ebere eze too to fortify out midfield, we need rugged top 9, we need compitition in our strikers, Osimeh is still inexperience and can easily mark out by tougher defenders. we need 2 more strong defenders who can compite with ekobg and others. world is not Africa nations cup. we have reach that quater finals or semifinals like cameroun and ghana , senegal,so that we can make mouth also in world stage. my name is Chibuike from Turkey.
Bro, you mean quarter final?
Dessers does not need to switch allegiance. He has not played for any other country at any level. His case is just call up and play.
And as per Ejaria Vs Ebere Eze, Ovie has gotten the better of the 4 Nigerians playing for QPR in both games this season. Got the result, got the performance.
Guy, NFF are right o…NFF’s move for Dessers need to be ratified by FIFA bcos going by his lineage, he’s Belgian-Nigerian and not vice versa. He was born in Belgium not naija…so his profile on FIFA records has it that he’s Belgian. An official switch of first allegiance (football-wise) is therefore necessary.
I personally rate Akpoms of today ahead of onuachu and onlayinka,infact akpoms is biuld more like ighalo but taller…some players perform better with national team than clubsite.Start Akpoms on his derby and 90% he will score and keep scoring same as desers and osimhen.
I will go for osimhen desers and a desperate Akpoms for super eagles now.
Why is An official switch of first allegiance (football-wise) is therefore not necessary for Nigerian Brits???
Una go wan dey quote irrelevant laws when it’s at our expense…the only ratification Dessers needs is to be in possession of a Nigerian Ordinary passport…that’s all
I don’t know why NFF is processing papers for Dessers when the guy haven’t played a single match for Belgium, just call the guy stop this dilly dally
God, I thank you o. I am doing my job as a citizen of Nigeria while NFF failed to theirs.
From so many players that I discovered and introduced to coach Rohr. Now, Ovie and Dessers.
I’m proud of myself and other patriotic Nigerians.
I promise to scout for more players and goalkeepers this year by God’s grace. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
LMAO….! Fat liar…!
So you discovered Cyriel Dessers and Ovie Ejaria too….???
Wonders shall never end. This guy really got serious personality problems. It’s like you think you are the only one who’s got access to YouTube and sports pages on the internet. Infact na you discover C.Ronaldo sef. Lolz
Pls when will you start discovering players like your agege and ajegunle players (that you said are better than the players we have in the SE currently) whom the internet and media cannot cover, because it seems it’s only players that the media throws to the world that you ‘discover’ way after they have made headlines….. LMAO
@omo 9ja well done we are nigerians and it is our duty to discover players for our national teams. Am beging dr drey and co to help me tell GR to invite emeka okorie he plays for spare parts association onitsha. He is a very good striker he is fast Strong and skiful better than the strikers we have in super eagles today.emeka has been painting nigeria spare parts dealers league with goals. He was on taget last week incuding a brace against enugu spare parts association fc he has 23 goals and 14 asist in 16 matches. Am beging gr to invite emeka. Ire o GOD BLESS 9JA.