Kadiri Ikhana advocates for more home-based players in Nigeria’s national teams

Former Enyimba International coach, Kadiri Ikhana says there is a danger in relying on foreign-based players for the national teams.

The CAF Champions League winner with Enyimba while outlining the danger of dwelling much on foreign-based players opined that it posed a lot of danger for the standard of football in Nigeria.

Only Rivers United’s Ebube Duru made the Super Eagles list as an NPFL player for the team’s 4-0 defeat to Portugal in an international friendly match last month.

“The country football will not improve when you use only foreign-based players. Playing international matches gives a lot of experience to players,” Ikhana, the former Super Falcons told Brila FM.

“When the foreign-based players finish their international matches, they return to their various teams abroad to exhibit what they gain from the national team.”

According to Ikhana, the foreign-based players will take their national team experience back to their clubs to the detriment of Nigerian football development.

“This means our football standard will be stagnant and won’t be going anywhere. Predominantly, we should use our home-based players. We must start somewhere,” he continued.

“I don’t believe in using foreign-based payers for national team games and thereafter they take the experience from the national team to their clubs abroad. I don’t see anything good about that.”

Three-time African Champions failed to qualify for the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar and will shift its focus on qualifying for the next African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

A two-legged tie with Guinea Bissau next year awaits Nigeria in a bid to qualify for the next AFCON.

The team top Group A of the AFCON Qualifiers with a maximum of six points after two games, two points ahead of Guinea Bissau, five points better than Sierra Leone, and six points ahead of pointless Sao Tome and Principe.

For the home based Eagles (CHAN Eagles), the team hasn’t qualified for consecutive African Nations Championship (African tournament for home based players) since reaching the final in 2018.