Former flying eagles head coach Emmanuel Amunike has joined ex Nigerian international Etim Esin to urge the Nigeria Football Federation to prioritise grassroots football development following the country’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Emmanuel Amunike commented that the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) should focus on discovering young talents at the grassroots level rather than relying solely on foreign-based players.
Amunike said “he came through that rank of playing from youth, even when he was in school, he was playing for a club because he was given the opportunity by late coach Yemi Tella.”
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“So why can’t the Nigerian Football Federation focus on looking for talent in the grassroots among the youths? Nigeria has players; we have never fallen short of players, they just need the right environment and trust by the football bodies.”
On the other hand, Etim Esin, who represented Nigeria at the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship, also said that improvements on facilities would bridge the gap between home-based and foreign-based players.
Esin told reporters; “All of us from my time came from the grassroots and the local leagues. The reason why it seems the foreign-based do better than the home-based is because of the facilities they have abroad,”.
“If the Nigerian Football Federation can give the players here the good facilities and level of attention and coaching the players abroad get, then Nigeria can have more than enough quality.”
Also, the Danish FIFA scouter and ex-footballer Denni Conteh showered praises on Nigerian players’ physical attributes but highlighted areas needing improvement.
He said that the Nigerian talents have a lot of heart. The Nigerian boys are physically strong, quick, and athletic. However, what they also need is tactical awareness, positioning, and basic fundamentals like first touch,” Conteh said.
