Former chairman, Gombe State Football Association, Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe, has faulted the recent move of Nigerian stars to China.
Gara-Gombe, a seasoned football administrator, made the submission in Ibadan, adding that Super Eagles captain, John Mikel Obi, who left Chelsea after 11 years, does not have any business in China, likewise Odion Ighalo who left another EPL side, Watford.
Speaking at the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Oyo state chapter-organised ‘Hot Seat’, held at the media centre, Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan on Friday, he noted that age barrier is affecting Nigerian players which informed their resolve to head to China.
“Tianjin TEDA pay Mikel £140,000-a-week which is too good to turn down likewise Ighalo [who earns up to £200,000-a-week].
“Imagine, our players are now moving to China in droves because they can’t compete with their counterparts in the top football countries again. Nigeria, among other top football nations, remain the only country that have their captain playing in China, is this helpful to our football?
“Five of our [Super Eagles] regular 11 players are now in China, as far as I’m concerned, I call them ‘pensioners’ because their careers can no longer grow over there except they just want to play for money,” he said.
“Even Kelechi Iheanacho who we still bank on because he is still young and vibrant is no longer playing regularly at Manchester City.
“In fact, if you notice any Nigerian player who is doing very well in Europe and other foreign leagues, just give him a year and a half, he would fizzle out when some of his colleagues from other countries are rising because our players don’t declare their true ages,” Gara-Gombe said.
The fire-brand sports administrator also advised the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to be steadfast in developing football from the grass roots.
“Inasmuch as the football authorities will not have a structured transitional programme in place, our football will not grow as expected. We must have regulated football academies in this country. When our players represent Nigeria at the FIFA U-17 championship, they will perform very well but we have to be honest with ourselves and find out, are these players eligible to participate in cadet tournaments in the first instance?”
“We can’t be helping these players to fortify their ages and expect that they would grow and play to their potential. Seventy per cent of our players supposed to graduate from U-17 to U-20 and to U-23 and from there to the Super Eagles team but it is not the case today,” Gara-Gombe lamented.
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