ABUJA – Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Technical Director, Augustine Eguavoen, has voiced strong disappointment following head coach Eric Chelle’s decision to exclude domestic players from the Super Eagles’ AFCON 2025 squad.
Despite Nigeria securing a bronze medal in Morocco, the total absence of Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) talent has reignited a fierce national debate.
“Three or Four Would Have Been Better”Speaking to Footy Africa, Eguavoen questioned the logic of leaving local stars behind while several foreign-based benchwarmers saw no action during the tournament.
“I felt disappointed that we did not include some NPFL players in the AFCON squad. Some players in the team may not even get a minute of action, so why couldn’t we include a few players from the local league?
At least three or four would have been better,” Eguavoen stated.Critics Label Outcry “Baseless”However, not everyone agrees with the Technical Director’s “nationalist” stance.
Victor Oluwafemi, Content Lead at Football 411, dismissed the criticism as “baseless on arrival” in a chat with DAILY POST.
Oluwafemi argued that the current NPFL standard is “simply inferior” to the era of Sunday Mba and Godfrey Oboabona, who famously won the 2013 title under Stephen Keshi.