Oliseh says the best players in Nigeria don’t play in the NPFL

Former Super Eagles’ captain and head coach, Sunday Oliseh, has given a knock on the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL), saying the nation’s best domestic players are not in the league owing to ‘poor remuneration.’

“Nigeria’s best domestic players are not in the league because they keep moving abroad in search of better pay,” he said. According to The Guardian, poor payment of players in the NPFL has led to the exodus of the country’s best talents.

Oliseh spoke against the backdrop of another call for the inclusion of home-based players in the Super Eagles’ forthcoming roster ahead of the 2026 Unity Cup in London.

The former Juventus of Italy, Borussia Dortmund of Germany and Ajax of the Netherlands midfielder stressed that better treatment is vital to curbing the rapid migration of home-based talents.

“Football is a business,” Oliseh told Sports247. “When we were playing, there was never one month that they owed us. It might be small, but we were paid on time. If you want players to stay in Nigeria, ensure the league is conducive and okay,” he stated.

Meanwhile, for Super Eagles player, Obinna Nsofor is full of tears, as he laments the decay in the nation’s football.

Nsofor, known for his accurate bomb-of-a-shot, said: “If Nigeria were truly good enough, we would have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Football is not about big names or social media hype, but about results on the pitch. DR Congo beat us, qualified and proved they deserved to be there more than Nigeria,” he said on Brila FM.

He continues: “The fact is that it has been a very long time since Nigeria, as a country, had the opportunity to host any major tournament. The last one we hosted was in 2000.

“We all know the situation we have in Nigeria as a country in terms of infrastructure. The standard of the stadiums is not at the level required to host a major CAF tournament, and that’s the truth.

“Even the national team of Nigeria finds it difficult to play matches in the country.”

Nsofor added: “In terms of going to other states for Super Eagles games, we have only one stadium in Nigeria that is up to the standard required to host qualifying matches.

“It’s quite unfortunate. In Nigeria, there is no long-term plan because we only plan for the present. We don’t have a maintenance culture,” Nsofor stated.