FIFA latest order on the release of players for this year’s AFCON has upset the plans of Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle as he tries to rebuild the team after the failure to qualify for a second straight World Cup.
FIFA originally fixed December 8 as the date clubs have to release players for the AFCON in Morocco only for the world football governing body to now announce that players for the tournament will only be released to their national teams on December 15, barely a week to the kick-off of the competition.
A top official told SCORENigeria that this new directive has hugely upset the plans of the Super Eagles coach.
“In the meeting with the technical committee in Abuja, the coach (Eric Chelle) complained bitterly that it is has been difficult to prepare the team for the World Cup qualifiers because of the short time between matches,” he said.
“And now he has only a week to prepare the team for their opening group game against Tanzania, that has messed up his great plans to get the Super Eagles flying again.”
It is now becoming increasingly likely that the proposed friendly against Egypt on December 14 will be cancelled and the Super Eagles will have to fly directly to Morocco, where a friendly possibly against a local club will be hurriedly arranged before their opening game.
The Eagles training camp was to have opened on December 10.
African countries should try to boycott FIFA competitions to put forward their case, if not, this nonsense will continue
What sense does boycotting FIFA events make than Africa countries making their local leagues stronger such that at any restraint caused by FIFA policies affecting their teams in any competition they can fall back and source solid teams locally. No doubt, the North Africans have for long been doing that. South Africa, East Africa and some West African countries have built solid local leagues. Its only in Nigeria we are still using the same old methods and expecting to meet up with the modern day demands. FIFA cannot shift the goal posts of its policies because of corruption-riddened NFF.
It’s corruption that’s affecting Nigeria to make their local leagues a formidable one where they can source resourceswithin a short periodof time. Period.