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By Abiodun Adewale.
Ahead of Nigeria’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying doubleheader against Guinea Bissau later in March, followers of Nigerian football have urged Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro, to invite players from the Nigeria Professional Football League, The PUNCH reports.
The Eagles take on the Wild Dogs of Guinea Bissau at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Friday March 24, while the return leg holds three days later in Bissau.
While Peseiro is expected to draw up a list for the games next week, the Portuguese has been going round venues in the NPFL and has also made comments about the quality of football in the Nigerian topflight.
“It’s a good impression in my programme and in my goal, I came here to know the country better. The country, the clubs and the facility, to know better what is happening in the country, we have many good players,” Peseiro said during a match-day seven game between Sunshine Stars and Niger Tornadoes in Akure.
Moved by Peseiro’s impression on the NPFL, some fans believe that the league has showcased some quality players in the current season who are good enough to make the cut for the AFCON qualifiers.
A fan of Sunshine Stars, Olushola Elekan, told The PUNCH that the presence of Peseiro in Akure and other match venues was motivating , adding that it would be nice to see players in the league prosecute the games.
“It’s good that the coach has been moving around the league, I was particularly happy to see him. It will be nice to see local players prosecute that kind of match for Nigeria, and I want to believe that has been the mission of Peseiro.”
Enitan Obadina, a Lagos-based journalist, stated, “We know the NFF is not as buoyant as before, so the good NPFL players can save us some luxury. Averagely we know that there will be about 23 players, but it is important to get exposure for some of the young players in the league that Peseiro must have seen.
“This is an African game, we need some defenders who are strong and fast and I believe some of the NPFL players can offer that, especially in the centre-back positions. We can also get a goalkeeper in the league among other positions.”
A Kwara United fan Jamiu Zaka recalled that Peseiro was also in Ilorin to watch the Harmony Boys last season and said the current set of stars in the league would blend perfectly with few overseas-based players for the Guinea Bissau game.
“I think both home-based and overseas-based players should be used because it is hard to ignore the guys abroad, even when you have abundance at home. And from the look of things, few guys in the current season deserve the call up and there is always a place for a full home-based squad,” Zaka told The PUNCH.
Nigeria sit top of Group A with six points from two games, and victory in both matches against the Wild Dogs will certainly pave the Eagles’ path to Ivory Coast 2023.