Former national team towering centre back, Azubuike Egwueke has come out with an ominous prediction that Super Eagles’ technical adviser, Eric Chelle will not pick any home-based player for Nigeria’s forthcoming final four games in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Sports247 reports that Egwueke’s verdict follows what he described as a very disappointing outing by players from the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) at the ongoing Championship of African Nations (CHAN 2024), where they have lost 1-0 to Senegal and 4-0 to Sudan.
The giant former defender, who starred for Nasarawa United of Lafia, Warri Wolves of Delta State and Rivers United of Port Harcourt during his days in the domestic league, confessed that even he is deeply saddened by both recent defeats suffered by the CHAN Eagles.
Egwueke declared, “I am very, very disappointed. I feel really bad; but let me just use the word disappointed. I’m one of the ex-internationals who’s always insisting on the home-based players to come into the main team.
“So, I’m very disappointed that a country like Sudan will beat Nigeria 4-0. That shows that our league is not growing and that the league is down.”
The 36-year-old former defender, who was part of Nigeria’s gold medal-winning squad at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and in the home-based team that won bronze at CHAN 2014, further pointed out that this year’s sordid results in Zanzibar are damaging for the NPFL’s image.
Egwueke added, “It shows that the league is really down. So, NFF should do something fast about the league and correct whatever is happening there.
“The league is really down, and I wonder how we can encourage this coach to use home-based players in the main team.”
He concluded with a verdict that even the best NPFL players will henceforth be overlooked for crucial national team matches, since those selected for CHAN 2024 have failed to justify the trust reposed in them.
“This means they cannot be selected along with the foreign-based players for the World Cup qualifiers or for the Nations Cup.
“The coach cannot include them because, as far as I am concerned, they have disappointed him,” asserted Egwueke, who also played for KuPS of Finland, SuperSport United of South Africa and Al-Nasr Benghazi of Libya.
Sports247 reports that the CHAN Eagles have a last chance to eke out a consolation win when they take on Congo this Tuesday in their last group match.
Victory for the Eagles will see Nigeria finish third in Group D, but the Congolese need this match more, as they can still qualify for the quarter-finals if they win and either Senegal or Sudan loses in the group’s other simultaneous last game.
