Scout for gifted Super Eagles in NPFL, Ekpo urges administrators

Ekpo calls on the Nigeria Football Federation to look into the NPFL for gifted players that can be nurtured for the Super Eagles

Following the Super Eagles’ ouster from Qatar 2022, former international, Friday Ekpo, has declared that it was time the nation’s football administrators shifted focus away from players of Nigerian descent by also developing and nurturing domestic league players good enough to play for the Super Eagles.

Nigeria last Tuesday lost the World Cup ticket to Ghana by the away goal rule. The two-legged encounter, played at the Kumasi Stadium, Ghana, and the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja respectively, ended 1-1 on aggregate, leaving millions of soccer-loving Nigerians gutted.

Speaking to The Guardian during the week, Ekpo said he was yet come to terms with the reality that the Eagles will not be at the World Cup in Qatar, this year.

“I am still in shock that Nigeria will not be at the World Cup. Though the boys did all they could, unfortunately their efforts were not enough for us to scale the hurdle.

“In the match, it appeared the Ghanaians even knew us more than we knew ourselves. How can you explain that a team that could not beat us in Ghana will now come and stop us from scoring the needed goals to book qualification. This is so sad.

“What is even more painful about the whole thing was that everyone had predicted the Eagles were going to the World Cup after we played a goalless draw in the first leg at the Kumasi Stadium in Ghana,” he said.

The former Eagles’ midfield maestro then added that it was high time the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) looked inward and got players with potentials in the Nigeria Professional League (NPFL) who could be nurtured as bedrock of the Eagles rather than depending