My point is our quest to field foreign based players is in itself not a problem but an attempt to find a temporary fix to the void created by our poor football development and organization.

Of course we want a situation were the foreign born players we need are not average players but world class players. Even in that situation we will need to tidy the way we make our approach on them and we will need demonstrate that playing for Nigeria is indeed a thing of pride not just by mouth but by track record of good organization and achievement.

Humility017:

stop playing to the gallery...
I have never for once on these forum hide my love for foreign groomed players....
common sense should teach that...if the 10 millions Nigerians in Europe could provide such a mass of talents that we are all jostling for to come play for us...
how much more...the 180 milion Nigerians at home....If only the structures and organisation are well in place

Joebie:
Dennis Okon nko. That left back was solid. Akwa United signed him in 2015. He was a regular in the previous season, but not heard much about him this season. Also Aliyu Abubakar, was arguably our best center back. Until now he played together with the likes of Egwuekwe and Salami in Sweden before he was loaned to an obscure league. Let's not forget Saharadeen Bello who progressed to the U23 team but did not make the cut to Rio.

The last time I heard about Edwin Okon he was about to get married.

Zaharadeen Bello is with Kano Pillars.

The defenders from that FIFA U17 WC crop have not progressed well.

Humility017:

I think my words are clear enough to digest...
having a functional age grade progression will make avaliable more players in our talent pool....moreover the likes of chasing after players who are not willing to play for nigeria or better still using us as a back up option should in case their birth country refuse them call up...
will be curtailed....
let me tell you.....wit a functional youth set up and structires...there would have been stars better than some of the foreign born players some of us here battling over...

No your words are prejudiced, bigoted, jaundiced and lack substance filled with unsubstantiated negative assumption.

You changed the goal post without apology or shame, when you assumed we were begging them.

I would also inform you not all the players you call foreign birthed players were born in the UK. Quite a few were born in Nigeria and came to the UK at a very young age. So change your assumptions.

Let me tell you what happens prior to the selection of age grade players And I have first hand participatory information from painful experience.

Unfortunately, our officials are known to ask for bribes and other inducements and that goes to the highest levels. The second problem is that our organisation approach and structure in engaging with these players is mostly organised chaos.

One should not be penalised for an expectation of professionalism and integrity. Because you want to play for Nigeria does not mean you accept poor management and unprofessionalism. I should therefore accept rubbish.

We find it hard to accept the truth that is mostly bitter. These boys are not at fault but the false news that is spread when they don't play the game the Nigerian way.

Because you have accepted corruption, nepotism, deceit and unprofessionalism as being normal. It doesn't mean that everybody else should.

Thee boys are not desperately hungry and will not sign off thier match bonuses to corrupt officials or give the obligatory loyalty payments to show appreciation and supposed respect for elders.

We need to wake up and get our act in order and we will not have to make a case to convince players to come to represent their father land.

Our track record is abysmal. Consider how Sone Aluko was treated it's simply shambolic. Younger players watch and think if that's the way you treat players then what's the point

I could tell you stories off the Nigerian team being at camp abroad in the past and unable to pay thier hotel bills. Of course the players contributed and paid it all, with the promise of reimbursement that never materialized, but that is not right, it's actually quite shameful. Or I could talk about flight tickets costs never reimbursed back to players but budgeted for.

You perverse ideology is that to be Nigerian they need to accept this types of underhanded behaviour and practices as normal. I SAY NO. This is the very reason why the nation is where it is, this type of mindset that you propagate.

If you accept rubbish you become rubbish, so what comes out is rubbish. A people are often a reflection of thier leaders. I am verging on politics so I'll stop here.

Daninya11:
A goal for Anthony Nwakaeme against Maribor In the UCL qualifiers.He plies his trade with Hapoel beer sheva with John Ogu.

where have thou been since all this time? It's been long I saw ur moniker here.

Hope You're good baba.

Our rubbish football in the last few years has finally started to bear fruit.

Nigeria international Ogenyi Onazi has been denied a work permit to play for English Championship side Birmingham City.

Birmingham had agreed terms with the 24-year-old to sign him from Turkish club Trabzonspor.

However the Football Association turned down a first application for a work permit for Onazi last week.

An appeal made by the club was rejected on Wednesday despite Onazi being a regular in the Nigeria national team.

BBC Sport understands that the player and his representatives are bitterly disappointed that the panel rejected an appeal.

Onazi has played 38 times for the Super Eagles and helped them to win the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and reach the last 16 of the World Cup in Brazil a year later.

However Nigeria's failure to qualify for the past two editions of the Nations Cup has affected his chances of securing a work permit to play in the English Championship.

Despite appearing in over 80% of the national team games, Onazi failed to earn a permit after the FA considered the West African nation's world ranking in the past two years.

They are ranked 38th in the August 2017 ranking, but Nigeria finished 54th on aggregate over the past two years.

Onazi joined current club Trabzonspor from Lazio last year and scored twice in 27 Turkish Super Lig matches last season.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40950438

tbaba1234:


Musa is still in Leicester...

I tho he had join hull on loan

wayodude:
Our rubbish football in the last few years has finally started to bear fruit.

Nigeria international Ogenyi Onazi has been denied a work permit to play for English Championship side Birmingham City.

Birmingham had agreed terms with the 24-year-old to sign him from Turkish club Trabzonspor.

However the Football Association turned down a first application for a work permit for Onazi last week.

An appeal made by the club was rejected on Wednesday despite Onazi being a regular in the Nigeria national team.

BBC Sport understands that the player and his representatives are bitterly disappointed that the panel rejected an appeal.

Onazi has played 38 times for the Super Eagles and helped them to win the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and reach the last 16 of the World Cup in Brazil a year later.

However Nigeria's failure to qualify for the past two editions of the Nations Cup has affected his chances of securing a work permit to play in the English Championship.

Despite appearing in over 80% of the national team games, Onazi failed to earn a permit after the FA considered the West African nation's world ranking in the past two years.

They are ranked 38th in the August 2017 ranking, but Nigeria finished 54th on aggregate over the past two years.

Onazi joined current club Trabzonspor from Lazio last year and scored twice in 27 Turkish Super Lig matches last season.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40950438

My suspicions are that if he had been playing in higher rated league and had made a name for himself he would not be having these problems.

Finally, if he joined Trabzonspor on loan them his principle abode will still be Italy. By now he should really have an EU passport. He has not been very forward thinking in his plans or his advisors have failed him in this respect.

komekn:


My suspicions are that if he had been playing in higher rated league and had made a name for himself he would not be having these problems.

Finally, if he joined Trabzonspor on loan them his principle abode will still be Italy. By now he should really have an EU passport. He has not been very forward thinking in his plans or his advisors have failed him in this respect.

With all those spent in Italy, I assumed he would have secured himself an EU passport already.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPbV9xPKdV8

komekn:


My suspicions are that if he had been playing in higher rated league and had made a name for himself he would not be having these problems.

Finally, if he joined Trabzonspor on loan them his principle abode will still be Italy. By now he should really have an EU passport. He has not been very forward thinking in his plans or his advisors have failed him in this respect.

I doubt it. The rules are more concerned about the profile of his national team than the club side he turns out for.

As for the EU passport, no chance he's not been in Europe long enough and especially with regards to the rules in Italy where he has mostly been. The Italian passport is maybe one of the most difficult to acquire in Europe. Balotelli was born in Italy and yet still only qualified for Italian citizenship when he was 18.

Nigeria's average position in the ranking over the last 2 years is 54th, hence why even though he had played in 80% of the national team games he still was not eligible for a work permit.

wayodude:


I doubt it. The rules are more concerned about the profile of his national team than the club side he turns out for.

As for the EU passport, no chance he's not been in Europe long enough and especially with regards to the rules in Italy where he has mostly been. The Italian passport is maybe one of the most difficult to acquire in Europe. Balotelli was born in Italy and yet still only qualified for Italian citizenship when he was 18.

Nigeria's average position in the ranking over the last 2 years is 54th, hence why even though he had played in 80% of the national team games he still was not eligible for a work permit.

take NACHO for example, the guy would have join either Monaco or Dortmund,

but I think he was adviced to stey put in England cos of his EU and English passport,

cause if he had leave, returning will be hard for him cos of work permit

U

do4luv14:



take NACHO for example, the guy would have join either Monaco or Dortmund,

but I think he was adviced to stey put in England cos of his EU and English passport,

cause if he had leave, returning will be hard for him cos of work permit

Good advice.

15 days to go... squad list shoukd be out already!!

bossto:
15 days to go...
squad list shoukd be out already!!

yeah and yet nobody is even moving, this is part of the reason why so many players turn us down

do4luv14:



take NACHO for example, the guy would have join either Monaco or Dortmund,

but I think he was adviced to stey put in England cos of his EU and English passport,

cause if he had leave, returning will be hard for him cos of work permit

If that's what he is after instead of playing for bigger clubs then that's good for him. But from arrival in England as a footballer (not on loan or as a youth team player) to getting your hands on a British passport would take at the very least 6 years. If Nacho signed a professional contract when he turned 18 in October 2014 (i.e this is when his work permit would have started) then the earliest date he would be eligible for a British passport would be in October 2020.So he is less than half way there. All good though, a man's got to do what he's got to do.

bossto:
15 days to go...
squad list shoukd be out already!!

squad list should be out latest next Wednesday. I honestly am not expecting the list this week, is Cameroon's list out?

Mickael2:


yeah and yet nobody is even moving, this is part of the reason why so many players turn us down

Exactly!!!

safarigirl:
squad list should be out latest next Wednesday. I honestly am not expecting the list this week, is Cameroon's list out?

I can't wait to see it and watch the matches!!!

AIG07:
where have thou been since all this time? It's been long I saw ur moniker here.

Hope You're good baba.

I am fine sir.
Tnx for checking up on me .

I do comment but seldomly.

Abeg O ye people, where is SuperNerd? If him dey vex, make we all go appease am O! Where u dey bruh? Seriously, we miss ya.

bossto:
15 days to go...
squad list shoukd be out already!!

I think the coach wants to monitor the imminent saturday and sunday games first to see the best in form players to prosecute the game.

But are we suppose to take all those remarks as insults? Instead of roping all of them, let's call it for what it really is from case to case.

If I have dual nationality, and I prefer to play for one country over the other, my decision has to be respected. How I say it does matter. I can't choose two countries at the same time. Let me repeat, patriotism for either country can truly be demonstrated when both countries come calling -- when there is a thug of war.

Balogun, if memory serves me right was in Bundesliga II when he showed interest playing for Nigeria. Was he considered one of Germany's bright prospect. capital No. Same applies to Troost Ekong and many of them. Iwobi had a very close tie with iconic Okocha. Someone posted here a few pages back how Okocha and his family had helped him a lot in his professional decisions even to planning his finances. So Iwobi's case is a very special case. Okocha is a big big figure in Nigerian football. Now that's a big influence. For the Baloguns, I'm not questioning their commitment, as they have put more than 100% while donning the white and green. I'm just saying if these players were highly considered by the other countries at the time, I feel most will not choose Nigeria. So it's really not a matter of patriotism as we make it seem. At least patriotism is not a big factor. There are other factors. I think it's more of a personal professional decision to me.

Today Umtiti is in the French national team, despite representing Cameroon at the U17 level I think, heaven did not fall down. We've had Ghanians play for Germany. We've had so many other cases showing even European teams are taking advantage of the option.

Let players make their choice, and let's move on. I think it will only be painful when we ourselves don't have good options at the home front. But that's our own doing. Let's stop nursing grudges.

junnyjake:


I don't really know for others, but for me I hate it when we go asking for these players to represent us and what we get in return is insults and unnecessary info we are well aware of.

I don't know about you, but as for me I'd like to our see players - those that feel Nigerian. Those that are aware of the flaws in our system and would still out of love for the country crave to put on the green Jersey.

I could remember a German born player (can't remember his name) saying he doesn't want to represent us because of the political instability in the country. Well screw him for saying that. Balogun and Ekong opted to play for us despite that.


Of course, I won't fault any player who opts to play for the country of their birth, if they feel they stand a chance there.

For example, if Tammy Abraham chooses England over us, that might be a nice decision. Rooney is 33, Defoe is 36, Vardy 30, harry Kane 25. It won't be too long before he and Kane create a formidable force upfront.

What I'm saying in essence is, if a player of dual nationality takes sides after careful considerations/calculations all we can do is wish them the best. And on their parts they can politely decline our offer without saying trash about us.

wayodude:
Our rubbish football in the last few years has finally started to bear fruit.

Nigeria international Ogenyi Onazi has been denied a work permit to play for English Championship side Birmingham City.

Birmingham had agreed terms with the 24-year-old to sign him from Turkish club Trabzonspor.

However the Football Association turned down a first application for a work permit for Onazi last week.

An appeal made by the club was rejected on Wednesday despite Onazi being a regular in the Nigeria national team.

BBC Sport understands that the player and his representatives are bitterly disappointed that the panel rejected an appeal.

Onazi has played 38 times for the Super Eagles and helped them to win the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and reach the last 16 of the World Cup in Brazil a year later.

However Nigeria's failure to qualify for the past two editions of the Nations Cup has affected his chances of securing a work permit to play in the English Championship.

Despite appearing in over 80% of the national team games, Onazi failed to earn a permit after the FA considered the West African nation's world ranking in the past two years.

They are ranked 38th in the August 2017 ranking, but Nigeria finished 54th on aggregate over the past two years.

Onazi joined current club Trabzonspor from Lazio last year and scored twice in 27 Turkish Super Lig matches last season.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40950438

not a very good news for him. He should focus on his present club and take this as a blessing in disguise. God knows why, and God's time is the best. he can still secure a better club in the future by God's grace because with God nothing shall be impossible.

you should get a thousand likes. I'm surprised. Truth is really bitter.

komekn:


No your words are prejudiced, bigoted, jaundiced and lack substance filled with unsubstantiated negative assumption.

You changed the goal post without apology or shame, when you assumed we were begging them.

I would also inform you not all the players you call foreign birthed players were born in the UK. Quite a few were born in Nigeria and came to the UK at a very young age. So change your assumptions.

Let me tell you what happens prior to the selection of age grade players And I have first hand participatory information from painful experience.

Unfortunately, our officials are known to ask for bribes and other inducements and that goes to the highest levels. The second problem is that our organisation approach and structure in engaging with these players is mostly organised chaos.

One should not be penalised for an expectation of professionalism and integrity. Because you want to play for Nigeria does not mean you accept poor management and unprofessionalism. I should therefore accept rubbish.

We find it hard to accept the truth that is mostly bitter. These boys are not at fault but the false news that is spread when they don't play the game the Nigerian way.

Because you have accepted corruption, nepotism, deceit and unprofessionalism as being normal. It doesn't mean that everybody else should.

Thee boys are not desperately hungry and will not sign off thier match bonuses to corrupt officials or give the obligatory loyalty payments to show appreciation and supposed respect for elders.

We need to wake up and get our act in order and we will not have to make a case to convince players to come to represent their father land.

Our track record is abysmal. Consider how Sone Aluko was treated it's simply shambolic. Younger players watch and think if that's the way you treat players then what's the point

I could tell you stories off the Nigerian team being at camp abroad in the past and unable to pay thier hotel bills. Of course the players contributed and paid it all, with the promise of reimbursement that never materialized, but that is not right, it's actually quite shameful. Or I could talk about flight tickets costs never reimbursed back to players but budgeted for.

You perverse ideology is that to be Nigerian they need to accept this types of underhanded behaviour and practices as normal. I SAY NO. This is the very reason why the nation is where it is, this type of mindset that you propagate.

If you accept rubbish you become rubbish, so what comes out is rubbish. A people are often a reflection of thier leaders. I am verging on politics so I'll stop here.

As regards Akpeyi, the coach should only settle for him when serious efforts to get a better keeper fails. merely seeing Akpeyi in goal can motivate the Cameroonians to attempt all sorts of shots knowing that he flaps easily. According to the Algerian player that scored against Nigeria in the 3-1 encounter, the coach told him to shoot because of Akpeyi's "poor positioning." Taking the risks to have him in the goalpost for these crucial matches should be the last thing to consider.

Oh yes not forgetting Musa Muhammed. We expected a lot from him

Icon4s:


The last time I heard about Edwin Okon he was about to get married.

Zaharadeen Bello is with Kano Pillars.

The defenders from that FIFA U17 WC crop have not progressed well.

Cameroon Have A Better Team Than Us – Rohr Confesses
August 17, 2017026

Coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot says Cameroon are in a better shape than Nigeria ahead of their back to back World Cup 2018 Qualifiers tie next month.

Nigeria are currently leading group B of the Africa World Cup 2018 Qualifiers with six points, four more than second placed Cameroon their next opponent when the qualifiers resumes in September.

Rohr in an exclusive interview with Owngoalnigeria.com said Cameroon have played more games than Nigeria in the year leading to the game and that will naturally give them a physiology edge over Nigeria.

“I’m not afraid, we are not afraid playing against Cameroon. They are a good team of course but I think if we are able to win the first game, we’ll see what will happen in the second game.

” The problem is that Cameroon has physiological advantage, Since after winning the AFCON they have played 13 games or 14, no 13 games I mean while we have played only three, they are really a team now and we have to be able to present a team in a few days to beat them”.



Ade Emmanuel

--OwnGoalNigeria

goldfish80:


I have always seen him as a player whose style is suited for the Spanish game. If he becomes a big hit at Girona, he could transfer to a good Spanish team like Villareaal or even Athletico Madrid. If Man city choose to sell.

In a way, this could turn out to be a good deal for the Super Eagles since he's guaranteed playing time at Girona in a season preceeding the world cup (if we qualify). A very good season in the La Liga almost guarantees him a starting shirt for the national team.

Austria Wien have officially announced Kayode's move to Man city:

http://twitter.com/FKAustriaWien/status/898115517701128192

haha na marriage matter.
That's what separates Muazam from them. Muazam is one of the best in the NPFL today. He is even in the SE set up.

Icon4s:


The last time I heard about Edwin Okon he was about to get married.

Zaharadeen Bello is with Kano Pillars.

The defenders from that FIFA U17 WC crop have not progressed well.

Joebie:
Cameroon Have A Better Team Than Us – Rohr Confesses
August 17, 2017026

Coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot says Cameroon are in a better shape than Nigeria ahead of their back to back World Cup 2018 Qualifiers tie next month.

Nigeria are currently leading group B of the Africa World Cup 2018 Qualifiers with six points, four more than second placed Cameroon their next opponent when the qualifiers resumes in September.

Rohr in an exclusive interview with Owngoalnigeria.com said Cameroon have played more games than Nigeria in the year leading to the game and that will naturally give them a physiology edge over Nigeria.

“I’m not afraid, we are not afraid playing against Cameroon. They are a good team of course but I think if we are able to win the first game, we’ll see what will happen in the second game.

” The problem is that Cameroon has physiological advantage, Since after winning the AFCON they have played 13 games or 14, no 13 games I mean while we have played only three, they are really a team now and we have to be able to present a team in a few days to beat them”.



Ade Emmanuel

--OwnGoalNigeria

I hope Goodjoe can learn from this. the improvements that a team and individual players experiences or enjoys from consistent run of games is indispensable.

blueto:
I think the coach wants to monitor the imminent saturday and sunday games first to see the best in form players to prosecute the game.

That's very thoughtful of him,if so!!

supernerd247...what is going on with you bro?