Former Super Eagles’ assistant coach and goalkeepers’ trainer, Joe Erico has taken a swipe at the team’s current handler, Gernot Rohr for concluding that home-based players are not good enough to play for the Nigerian national team, megasportsarena.com reports.
In contrast with Rohr’s repeated verdict that only foreign-based stars deserve invitations to the Eagles, Erico fired back in disagreement and stressed that he cannot accept that lads plying their trade in the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) are not good enough.
He added during Mega Sports on Star 101.5 FM, Lagos that the current situation of ignoring home-based players is counter-productive, as it will limit completion for shirts in the team, create stunted growth in the league and stall discovery of new talents from the domestic scene.
Erico stressed: “I know that there are quality players in the Nigerian league. In our days, we used players from the domestic league. Some of them were even part of the team that won the Africa Nations Cup in 2013. They just need to get the right support and encouragement; then they will produce what those abroad are doing, even better.
“As for anyone who thinks otherwise, I say … don’t give me that. A reasonable coach should be able to try as much as possible to infuse the home-based players to encourage them to work harder and to do more and giving them an opportunity. I think it’s very important the coach should look inwards too.”
