Former Super Eagles’ captain and coach, Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh has come out with a suggestion on how Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) teams can be part of the glamour and wealth of FIFA Club World Cup in the near future, Sports247 reports.
While taking a look at the performances of three African clubs that are currently competing at this year’s edition of the competition in the United States of America, Oliseh opined that the trio has shown what it takes to mingle with some of the world’s best well-organised squads.
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He praised FIFA for coming up with the idea of an expanded Club World Cup, with 32 competing teams, which the ex-Regianna and Juventus of Italy midfielder, who also played for RC Liege of Belgium, Ajax of Holland as well as Borussia Dortmund and VfL Bochum of Germany, believes will further boost football followership globally.
Oliseh declared, “My own opinion is that, for everything FIFA does, don’t be deceived with all what you hear, there is a reason for it. There is a reason regarding pro-football for it. It’s for the interest of the game.”
‘The Passmaster’ then turned his focus specifically on Ah-Ahly of Egypt, Wydad Casablanca of Morocco and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa that are currently carrying the continent’s flag at the ongoing competition in God’s Own Country and stressed that it is time for NPFL clubs to ask themselves pertinent questions.
Oliseh, who is now 50 years old, smirked, “I think, instead of asking ourselves, ‘Why are all these teams getting there and we are not there?’ Let’s ask ourselves, ‘What are we doing to improve our own game.?’
“What do we have that makes us indispensable? If you want to be there, you have to bring something into it. It is useless coming there and being beaten four, six-zero … then you have no reason to be there.”
The outspoken former battler, who scored a wonder goal for Nigeria in a historic 3-2 victory over Spain at the 1998 World Cup in France, concluded by pointing out that NPFL clubs could also be part of the FIFA CWC fanfare and financial windfall once they put their house in order.
“If there’s a reason pro-football and you have to be there, then you have to accept it like that, and you must look at it as a challenge.
“So, we can then say, like other African nations, we have to be there because there’s money inside. So, let’s get our house together to get some financial benefits,” Oliseh submitted.
