A
former Super Eagles midfielder, Thompson Oliha, on Wednesday appealed
to the Interim Board of the Nigeria Professional Football League to
strive to improve the profile of the league.
Oliha told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the league’s profile should be at par with what obtains in Europe and the Americas.
He added that the NPFL would have to
engage the services of the country’s ex-international players, who are
grounded in the nitty-gritty of the European league system.
Oliha noted that there were many ex-internationals out there who would be willing and ready to deliver, if given the job.
“There is need for ex-internationals to
be brought into the league because they also have the technical
know-how. Many ex-internationals are out there who are willing and ready
to deliver if they are given the job to manage the league,” Oliha, who
played with Africa Sports FC of Abidjan.
On the recent list of players that were
invited to the Super Eagles by Coach Stephen Keshi, the 1994 AFCON
winner with the Super Eagles said that Keshi had acted bravely.
“Keshi took a bold step and I am very
impressed by it. Now the NPFL players are being given the opportunity to
exhibit their skills at the international arena. The players now have a
sense of belonging, especially because they have been given the
opportunity to showcase their skills,’’ the former midfielder said.
He stressed that all the national team
players should be accorded the same level of recognition, rather than
referring to some as domestic league players and others as
foreign-based.
“I want to implore my fellow Nigerians
to stop describing some of the Super Eagles players as home-based and
some as foreign-based footballers.”
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