Another shadow of doubt has been cast over the chances of Nigeria’s national team, Super Eagles winning the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Sports247 reports.
READ ALSO: Lucky Ezeha Ends Year in Style with Match-Winning Display in Prague
The latest doubt in the team’s chances comes from a Lagos-based coach, Angel Ebiye Jombo, who reckoned that the Eagles cannot fsce the tough nature of African football because they have too many ‘tokunbo players’ in their squad.
Jombo stated as much during ‘Hot Seat’ segment of Inside Naija Sports, a live streaming programme on YouTube, which runs from 11:45am every Friday in the studio of Sports247 Naija TV.
He further pointed out that, apart from over relying on players born in Europe, who cannot face up to the physical nature of AFCON, Nigeria also has a squad that lacks passion, team spirit and proper blending.
The founder and coach of United Squad Football Academy of Kosofe, Lagos added: “We lack teamwork and there’s no chemistry in that team. What we have is just individual brilliance and personal effort.
“When they are in their clubs, they perform wonderfully well because they put in more effort and blend better over there. When they come together for Nigeria, they don’t have the same quality and fighting spirit.
“That’s mostly because there are too many of them that I would call ‘tokunbo players.’ Many of them were born abroad, mostly in the UK, but the NFF finds a way to bring them into the national team, for which they lack commitment and passion.”
Jombo then took his mind back to the ‘Golden Generation’ of Nigerian football, during which he recalled that many of the national team players had been hardened ahead of time at the grassroots and in the domestic league.
He further pointed out, “Back in the day, we had players who could go and fight hard anywhere for the country. That’s because they played in the Nigerian league.
“They would fight hard during matches, because they faced the rugged style of our domestic football. Some of them even grew up the hard way from the grassroots.
“I can safely say that the Nigerian league is one of the hardest in the whole wide world. It’s tough to survive in a league where you have to travel long distances by road, and you do not get enough rest before you enter the field to play.
“Even while playing on the field, you face massive pressure from the fans who are waiting to molest you after the game. The ref is also doing his own bit to frustrate you.”
While singling out Victor Osimhen as the only player in the present Super Eagles’ squad who plays like a ‘real’ Nigerian, Jombo also took a swipe at the recent trend in global football that depends mostly on collective statistics and team honours instead of personal values of each player.
Jombo pointed out sarcastically, “Sadly, football nowadays is mostly mechanical and theoretical. Even Ronaldinho said so.
“We believe more in statistics nowadays than raw talent. Most players nowadays don’t follow the basics of football, and they are lazy.
“Unlike Victor Osimhen, who faced tough times while growing up in Ojota and even sold water in traffic, the other players are not ready to play hard.
“Any small contact, they will fall on the pitch and call for the referee’s attention. Yet, they are the ones we now bring back to Africa to come and play against rugged opponents.”
