Rivers United assistant coach Yemi Olanrewaju has urged Nigerian clubs to recruit quality foreign players, insisting that the Nigeria Premier Football League must become more open to international talent if its teams are to compete successfully on the continent.
Olanrewaju made the call in the aftermath of Rivers United’s elimination from the CAF Champions League by Ivorian side FC San Pedro, with the result once again raising questions over the ability of Nigerian clubs to compete with some of Africa’s strongest teams.
The former Enyimba coach believes strengthening squads with quality players from outside Nigeria could help raise standards in the domestic league and provide clubs with additional qualities required for continental competition.
“No league will survive without foreigners,” Olanrewaju said in an interview with Sports247.
“The English Premier League didn’t do well until the Cantonás and the Thierry Henrys started coming in.”
Olanrewaju pointed to the influence of foreign stars such as Eric Cantona and Thierry Henry on English football as an example of how importing quality can contribute to the growth, appeal and competitiveness of a domestic league.
His argument is that Nigerian football should not view the recruitment of foreign players as a threat to local talent but as an opportunity to increase competition and expose domestic players to different qualities and experiences.
For NPFL clubs, the issue becomes particularly significant when they enter CAF competitions, where they encounter teams assembled from a wider pool of African and international talent.
Nigerian clubs have struggled to translate their domestic pedigree into sustained success on the continent in recent years, increasing scrutiny on recruitment, squad depth and the overall quality available to coaches.
Rivers United’s latest campaign ended after a 2-2 draw with FC San Pedro in Uyo, following a 1-1 result in the first leg in Côte d’Ivoire.
For Olanrewaju, competing more effectively against such opposition will require Nigerian clubs to become more ambitious in the transfer market.
However, his proposal also feeds into a wider conversation about how the NPFL should develop.
Recruiting foreign players would have to complement rather than replace investment in academies, coaching, infrastructure and the development of Nigerian players, particularly if clubs are to build sustainable structures capable of producing long-term success.
The Rivers United assistant coach’s position is nevertheless clear: if Nigerian clubs want to become stronger in Africa, they cannot restrict their search for quality to players within the country’s borders.
And after another continental disappointment for an NPFL side, Olanrewaju believes it may be time for Nigerian football to embrace the type of international recruitment that has helped transform leagues elsewhere.
