Ghana/Nigeria World Qualifier Team List: Like the Bourbon dynasty, Eguavoen and NFF have learned nothing and forgotten nothing
Eguavoen and members of the NFF Technical Committee led by Ahmed Yusuf Fresh did not consult with the majority of the players invited for the must-win match against Ghana
Super Eagles Interim Technical Director Austin Eguavoen and the NFF like Bourbon dynasty seem to have learned nothing and forgotten nothing from their past mistakes. The team list they released for the must-win Qatar 2022 World Cup Qualifier against Ghana shows their actions are close to Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity, ‘doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results’ David Meshioye reports
Introduction
A few hours after Super Eagles Interim Technical Director Austin Eguavoen released the list of players, which included Williams Troost-Ekong of Watford, that will wear the green/white/green against the Black Stars of Ghana in the must-win Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifier slated for March 25, 2022, and March 29, 2022, in Abuja.
In London, just six hours away by air and a few seconds away by telephone, Ekong’s manager Roy Hodgson addressed a press conference where he informed the media that Ekong has suffered a muscle strains and will not only miss the Sunday clash against Arsenal
’’ But it will keep him out for the foreseeable future. It’s a muscle strain, same with Ismailia Sarr, it’s going to keep them both out of the equation for the foreseeable future but I don’t know exactly. It’s not a minor thing. It’s not a knock, both have muscle strains’’.
One thing is clear from the above, Eguavoen and members of the NFF Technical Committee led by Ahmed Yusuf Fresh did not consult with the majority of the players invited for the must-win match against Ghana.
Round peg in squared hole
While Fresh's headship of the NFF Technical Committee could be akin to a bricklayer heading Faculty of Engineering, Eguavoen who has seen it all as a player and coach, who has been sacked as a coach both at the club and national team levels ought to know better.
How can you not consult a player especially your Vice-Captain before inviting him for a match?
But Eguavoen and the technical committee error was not just the invitation of injured Ekong.
While countries are inviting players in their late teens to blend with experienced players in their late twenties Eguavoen went and exhume Ogenyi Onazi who plays in the second division in Saudi Arabia.
Even if it’s a very friendly match, Akinkunmi Amoo of FC Copenhagen, Denmark who has only played a few minutes in the Danish league in 2022 has no business being on standby or on the bench.
Ogenekaro Etebo may be a fairly good player but the truth is he has been injured for about seven months and he is yet to regain fitness. Is a must-win World Cup qualifying match a place for recuperating players?
While agile Taiwo Awoniyi and Paul Onauchu who are playing regularly for their clubs are ignored, Ahmed Musa who is in the twilight of his career and should have bid the national team bye after 2021 Afcon in Cameroon earlier in the year is back in the team.
No NPFL player on the list
Eguavoen was reported to have promised to shortlisted 5 home-based players for the match, but when the list was released no player in the NPFL made the list, not even on standby.
“We have some very good players in the NPFL but basically, it depends on the coach. Our mentality in Nigeria is that we believe too much on foreign-based players,” Ishola Shaibu told the media.
“During our playing days, it wasn’t that way. Most of our national team coaches don’t go out to watch league games and that is the problem. I think some of the home-based players are better than those called up. If the coaches go round to watch these players, they would at least call up two players to the squad,” Shaibu added.
But former midfielder, Friday Expo is of a different opinion he believed
“Only the best players should be invited and it must be done without bias. The players must be playing week in week out and clocking good minutes. It is also crucial for the coaches because they want to qualify for the World Cup,” Expo told the media over the weekend.
“For me, we need to have our best in the national team no matter where they come from.”
Let’s support the team-Ikhana
Former Enyimba coach, Kadiri Ikhana urged Nigerians to rally behind Eguavoen irrespective of the players that made the lists. He stressed that it is too early to criticize the lists since some players can still be dropped.
"It is too early to criticize Eguavoen's lists. I agree that some players have not been playing regularly for their clubs, but we will be able to see them closely when they stay in camp for two days.
Some players can still be dropped before the match. Let us give Eguavoen a chance and support as we face Ghana," he told 234sportsng.com
FULL SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (AC Omonia, Cyprus); Daniel Akpeyi (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa); Maduka Okoye (Sparta Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Defenders: Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England); Kenneth Omeruo (CD Leganes, Spain); Leon Balogun (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); William Ekong (Watford FC, England); Olaoluwa Aina (Torino FC, Italy); Calvin Bassey (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Abdullahi Shehu (AC Omonia, Cyprus); Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal)
Midfielders: Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Oghenekaro Etebo (Watford FC, England); Akinkunmi Amoo (FC Copenhagen, Denmark)
Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Fatih Karagumruk, Turkey); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain); Victor Osimhen (Napoli FC, Italy); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Sadiq Umar (Paderborneria, Spain); Odion Jude Ighalo (Al-Hilal FC, Saudi Arabia); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Emmanuel Dennis (Watford FC, England); Ademola Lookman (Leicester City, England)
Standby: Chidozie Awaziem (Alanyaspor FC, Turkey); Jamilu Collins (SC Paderborn 07, Germany); Chidera Ejuke (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Taiwo Awoniyi (Union Berlin, Germany); Paul Onuachu (KRC Genk, Belgium); Peter Olayinka (SK Slavia Praha, Czech Republic); Ogenyi Onazi (Al-Adalah FC, Saudi Arabia)
