Nigeria's best players not in national teams - Omeruo adviser

Action from the Eurosoccer Vision tournament in Abuja between Amunike Academy and FC Sports

Adviser to Nigeria international Kenneth Omeruo has stated that the country is overflowing with natural talent but because of poor scouting the best players often do not get a chance to represent their country at the various national teams.

Holland-based Chika Akujobi said it was because of this fact that his company staged a scouting tournament in Abuja this week.

“I can boldly say that in many instances, it is not the best players who get to play for the various national teams in Nigeria. There are many better players who were not scouted and so do not get to play for their country,” argued Akujobi, who played professionally in Germany and Holland before bagging his coaching badges in Holland, where he is based.

"There are better young players than Kelechi Iheanachos and Victor Osimhens, but they are yet to get their chance here in Nigeria.

“The scouting tournament I did in Abuja has further underlined this fact – many gifted players are only waiting to be discovered.

“All we need do now is to organise these scouting programmes well and then we could really compete with the likes of Brazil and Argentina in exporting football talent overseas.”

However, Akujobi is quick to warn that despite the natural talent in the country, the coaches have a lot of work to prepare these players tactically.

“We have to work on tactics if these technically gifted players who abound in this country are to stand a chance in Europe. It’s not just about what you can do with the ball, but also what you do when you do not have the ball.”