- He stated that English-born Nigerian players who opted to play for Nigeria are those who can’t make it with the English national team
Former Chelsea forward Eni Akuko has disclosed why players who are qualified and eligible to play for Nigeria and England often prefer the latter.
Football stars like Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala, Bukayo Saka, among others, with Nigerian ancestry have ditched the country and pledged international allegiance to other countries.
Speaking on the trend, Aluko, who also chose England ahead of the Super Falcons, said players opt for England because Nigerian football is not appealing.
Aluko, who spoke on Mikel Obi’s podcast, noted that it is almost a default decision for players born in the UK to pick England over Nigeria.
He stated that English-born Nigerian players who opted to play for Nigeria are those who can’t make it with the English national team.
She said: “I think the players that grew up here (England) and choose to play for their country of heritage, it’s usually because they feel like they can’t, they won’t make it a career for England, right.
“So it’s almost a default decision, which it shouldn’t be.”
She opined that it behoves leaders in Nigeria to make football attractive by addressing the myriad of challenges facing the sport.
“The onus is on the country (Nigeria) to make it a very attractive option. And we know that there are some issues there that still need to be sorted out in terms of the organisation, in terms of the investment, in terms of just the professionalism, right?”