Some foreign-born players not good enough for Super Eagles, says Sports minister

John Enoh, Nigeria’s Minister of Youth and Sports has questioned the commitment and zeal of the Super Eagles players who were born abroad, in light of the team’s recent woes.

Nigeria has been on a poor run following the conclusion of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in February where they came second. The departure of Portuguese manager Jose Peseiro saw the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) look inward to hiring a local coach, Finidi George.

The former Enyimba coach led the team to a victory against Ghana and a loss to Mali in April friendlies. However, he further jeopardized the Eagles’ 2026 World Cup qualification hopes with a 1-1 draw against South Africa and a 2-1 defeat to Benin Republic earlier in June.

These results not only made Nigeria’s quest for WC qualification harder, but it also saw them drop eight places from the 30th position to the 38th position in the latest FIFA ranking.

While multiple reports indicate that George has stepped down from his position, the Sports minister believes the Eagles’ problems extend beyond the quality of the coach.

“We talk of the quality of the coach, but what of the quality of the players in the team?” Enoh asked in an interview with Eagle7 FM.

“We have in the Super Eagles about 90 percent of players not born in Nigeria. Do they have the spirit, the fire of a Nigerian player born in Nigeria?

“There are some players in the team who are not good enough for the Super Eagles,” he said.