Daily Trust (Abuja)
David Ngobua
9 July 2009
A member of the 1987 Flying Eagles and ex- Green Eagles mid-fielder, Lawrence Ukaegbu has said the Nigerian football league is so wretched in terms of quality players to the extent that it cannot produce good footballers who can play for the senior national team, the Super Eagles.
Speaking to Trustsports yesterday at the Glass House, the former Iwuanyanwu International FC star player said the standard of the Nigeria Premier league is nothing to write home about hence its inability to produce the caliber of players that can fit into the Super Eagles.
He said the players in the league are no more good so those who normally blame the national team coaches for looking unto foreign players should not forget the fact that every good coach goes for the best players.
"You don't have to blame the national team coaches who don't pay much attention to the local players. Where are the good players? They are simply nowhere to be found," he opined.
The member of Chile 1987 FIFA junior world cup maintained that anytime they are given opportunity to play for the country, players in the local league find it hard to measure up because they lack the ability to perform at the highest stage.
"There are no more good players in the domestic league. You can not single out a player for mention. There is none you can go to the stadium to watch. They are just the same. In our days, people go to the stadium to watch certain players and that made the stadiums to be filled to capacity but the story is no longer the same".
"There are no more good players in the league. All the good ones have moved to Europe. The ones left behind are not dedicated to their chosen career," he added.
He further said the players now are so bad that football fans hardly go to watch matches and it is for this reason that most times even premier league matches are played in near empty stadiums.
"Today, if you like go to watch the league matches, you will find fifty to hundred spectators only. The reason is simple, there are no more quality players to entertain the fans," he stated.
Ukaegbu said part of the problem is poor management of the league and the clubs as according to him, what happens around here is not real professional football.
He said both the players and the administrators behave like amateurs and as long as the trend remains unchecked, there is no way the domestic league will grow.
He however opined that Nigeria is blessed with talented youth who can change the tide if properly motivated.
Ukaegbu therefore counseled young players to emulate some of them who dedicated themselves to the round leather game.
"When we were playing football, we never thought of any other thing. We were determined to succeed and that was why we got to the highest level," he concluded.
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