Indomitable Lions of Cameroon head coach Antonio Conceicao has named Nigeria-born forward John Mary
Uzuegbunam in his 33-man squad for this month’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures again Mozambique, reports Completesports.com.
Uzuegbunam, who was born in Anambra State, South East, Nigeria earned his first invitation as replacement for injured Stephane Bahoken last November.
The 26-year-old, who plays for Chinese Super League club, Shenzhen will be looking to make his debut for the former African champions later this month.
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Uzuegbunam featured for the Cameroon U20 side in 2011.
The 33-man team comprises four goalkeepers, 11 defenders, eight midfielders and 10 forwards.
The Indomitable Lions are second in Group F, level on four points with their Southern African opponents who hold a superior goal difference.
By Adeboye Amosu
15 Comments
Nigeria is soo blessed that we eport good footballers all over world. Wearing the green should be seen as a great privilege, not a compensation. we shouldn’t beg anybody to play for us. Wish u all the best, kid. Go show them what Nigerians are made of.
Naija everywhere!, one day Brazil will name one Nigerian in their squad.
Agree with your statement, Oakfield. However, there is more to it. It is not just down to patriotism. It is also a business decision. This article by Colin Udoh sheds light on the challenges our foreign born players face, especially in England.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/nigeria-nga/story/4011944/cyriel-dessers-switch-opens-fresh-discord-between-gernot-rohr-and-amaju-pinnick
Imagine a situation where your England born son is being courted by premiership clubs BECAUSE they anticipate he will commit to the 3 Lions. If he comes out to declare for Nigeria, and the premiership clubs withdraw their interest, where does that leave him financially and career wise? It is not an easy situation at all. This why the NFF have to try to make playing for Nigeria more attractive. If a player gets inhured on national duty for instance, will Nigeria take care of him, or will he be shipped back to his club for care as is the current practice? This is just one of the many things our foreign born guys have to consider. If they chose to play for Nigeria, it is not just because of patriotism, it is also because they hope that the benefits of the exposure that comes with representing Nigeria compensates for the risks and costs associated with playing for Nigeria.
@Pompei. If a player gets injured on national duty, FIFA takes care of them. This is what they are doing with Uzoho Currently
I look forward to the time when Nigeria will have a good local league, so that our home grown guys can have the opportunity to showcase their talents. Look at what India is doing. With this on ground, I will not be surprised if India becomes a regional if not global force in the near future. They seem to be on the right track. If India can do this, how far Nigeria?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtTpIRaqgNA&feature=onebox
As per football, India have not won even chewing gum. Yet, see their league. Meanwhile, Nigeria with all our football achievements can’t boast of a decent league. If we produce so much talent right now that we are exporting all over the globe, imagine what will happen if we had a good league in place!
Explain what you mean by decent league? What is an average football lover in Nigeria doing to improve the league in their own way? When was the last time you set your foot in stadium to watch a league match? Football leagues around the world thrive on followership and viewership….no investor will invest in a league of empty stadiums….if you have been following the league lately, you can’t deny the improvement in its management, refereeing, pitch quality and stuffs….What we need is branding and branding comes first with you and I ….our mentality
@adeniyi, no disrespect but u really need to talk sensibly. Is it the duty of individuals like us to fix our league or that of the govt?Is it not when the govt fixes our league and makes it more attractive that people would start trooping into stadiums to watch matches whilst attracting the attention of foreign investors? U don’t expect people to troop in to stadiums to watch a dilapidated league with dilapidated facilities and baldy run management where player’s welfare are not properly taken care of. Pls, let’s try talk like people we sense at times.
@Adeniyi. Most football leagues can thrive even if the games are played in empty stadia. I have watched games in Portugal, Scandinavia, etc that have very scanty crowds.
TV rights and broadcasting alone can pay the running costs of ANY football club in Nigeria. Clubs also make massive revenue from merchandise (jerseys, stickers, caps, tracksuits etc, also training clinics for local youths and schools. Most clubs also have halls for hire, some even run hotels for out of town supporters and banqueting suites for hire for weddings, owambe etc.
This is even before prize money for winning competitions, player sales, advertising and club own online content subscription.
If the clubs make it, people will buy, if the league fulfils their media rights, people will subscribe. We have gone more than 50% of the season and we are yet to see one match shown via the NextTV deal with the NPFL. Not on an app, not on YouTube, not on TV, not on satellite, nowhere.
The football ecosystem is fuc&3d.
Nope, I disagree. Branding starts with the packaging of the product being sold. If you have ice cold water for sale in the hot desert, nobody will buy if you don’t package it and market it well. Try selling that cold water in a dirty or unattractive bottle! Nobody will buy!
The league is the product in this instance. The people will go to see matches if it is made attractive to them. In a free market, goods and services are not purchased based on mentality or sentiment. They are purchased because there is a need/want. Make people want the league, and they will come. That is what the Indians are doing better than us, based on the video I posted. Look at the excitement generated in the stadium. Of course it helps that the pitch is good, the flood lights are working, and the stadium is in good shape. And the commentaries are of decent quality (very important. Look at the value people like Peter Drury add to the English premier league, just via the quality of his commentaries). These are the things that come together to create demand. The NFF needs to find ways to create or increase the demand for our local league.
@Oakfield
You have actually spoken well.
Permit me to add,
It is not really the government duty to take care of the league. Football is managed by the FA,the league is run by NPFL,which is basically a different body from the FA.
Remember, Fifa kick against government influence in Football. So government really has no business in these. I would argue that,government in charge of most of our clubsides has been a drag back for the league and a total liability for the league to take off.
The NPFL (in conjunction with the FA), have to get their acts in order and fix the league. Even if it means going with a reasonable number of reasonable clubs ready to meet the advanced standard in running a football club.
For me, the league would do well to go full private. They should take a cue from the NBBF run league,which is run mostly privately with just 30percent of government owned clubs been represented.
Same for the newly formed Nigerian University league; that’s basically ran by private consortium with representation of only qualified University teams that met up with their standard.
But forgive me to digress;
You shouldn’t have gone in on Adeniyi the way you did;
you writing ,”..u really need to talk sensibly” is totally a big shot at a person just putting his opinion out there.
Remember,what is sensible to you might be totally unreasonable to the next man.
We all state views to the best of our knowledge; we all differ in our level of knowledge as it relates to issues and would state our views based on such,with all innocence even if such is filled with naivety. So we should try to be fair and reasonable on that basis whenever we read through someone’s opinion that differs totally from ours.
We are all here to give views,learn and on the long run make things better.
Hope to continue reading from you
Sure @hush but mehn, my response to adeniyi post was just spontaneous born from the fact that he ought to have known better but your observations have been noted. Yep,my reference to the govt was to the authorities that are in charge but then, the govt needs to be involved to an extent bcs most of the stadia and facilities used by most of our club sides are owned by the govt and hence cannot totally shy away from lending a helping hand to develop our league. We haven’t gotten to the level where most of all these facilities are owned by privately owned club sides just as is obtainable in well developed countries. It’ll be a very huge task to leave the development of our league solely to private bodies bcs of financial constraints. It’s really nearly impossible for private bodies to take up that responsibility at this stage. It’s should be a gradual process but the govt needs to set the ball rolling.
@Much respect to you.
Appreciate your response and totally understand your earlier take.
I would say I understand the your view that we aren’t in the level yet that we don’t need the government.
The basic truth is,no one in the world has gotten to that level where government’s aid wouldn’t be required;not even the advanced world.
The government always have a role to play but the extent of that role is what matters.
For instance,most stadia in Italy and most of Eastern Europe are owned by the government but they struck a deal with the clubsides based on rent,lease or sometimes,outright sale when payment is made over time.
In fact,Westham united plays in the city of London stadium owned by the government of London.
Even in the MlS of the United States,Chinese Super League and the Indian Super league;most stadia are owned by the government but leased out to these clubsides or some are sold with payment being made on annual basis till payment is complete.
The point is government would always have a role to play.
But my take is; that role should be limited.
The above examples I gave is all based on business level. And such could be done in Nigeria.
I don’t believe we don’t have a private sector that can run clubsides to the level that they can lease or rent stadia from government.
It is common truth we have wealthy Nigerians, large private companies,that can singlehandedly run a club.
Even if it is in a merger. We got them.
It is just a shame most of the Nigerian elite class are selfish and have misplaced priorities; they have no idea on what to invest in or simply care less about sports and the country at large.
Even if we have just 10 or 6 private individuals,companies or consortium running a club to standard and going the way of the MLS,striking a deal with the government to lease out stadia; that would be enough to start a standard league.
We don’t need the crowd if they are not up to standard.
The NPFL have no standard. Its class Is so low that they can’t sell to any investor.
The MLS(Major league soccer),CSL(Chinese super league),ISL(indian super league);are all private franchise that sold their stock and ideas to private individuals(companies);and such stock has a standard. If the clubsides doesn’t meet up to that standard,they aren’t coming in. It is that simple.
And to think these 3 countries aren’t really football crazy countries.yet they could get investors.
It can be done in Nigeria. We just need serious people running the league. We have the companies and private people out there that have the pocket to invest,even if they are few.we can start with the few and grow at our pace.
I’m only commenting because of you @Mr Hush I always enjoy reading from you.
@Goal
My greetings and respect to you.
Enjoy reading your write ups too..