The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have been warned to focus more on developing the game from the grassroots and getting players from the youth team progress to the senior national team, as it is the first recipe for success, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Nigeria have been very active in luring players born abroad at the expense of developing the game from the grassroots, especially during the tenure of Amaju Pinnick as president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Pinnick’s lack of interest in the development of the game from youth levels affected the youth teams of Nigeria, with his eight years stay as president of the NFF rated as the worse ever for youth football in the history of Nigeria.
It affected the development and subsequent graduation of players from the youth teams to the senior teams. Pinnick’s focus was solely on the Super Eagles, something his successor Ibrahim Musa Gusau have been warned not to emulate.
High performance analyst at FIFA Faisal Chibsah gave the above warning as part of his speech welcoming the NFF to the FIFA Development Scheme (TDS).
“Today, we took a giant step in welcoming the the NFF to the FIFA Talent Development Scheme”, s statement on his Twitter handle reads.
“Naija (Nigeria) 🇳🇬 remains a powerhouse in @CAF_Online ⚽️ and the TDS will support the creation of a National performance plan that outlines a mission and vision for talent development.
“First steps taken, in close collaboration with key stakeholders, to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the MA’s performance in all areas – from strategic planning to implementing a national playing philosophy with set targets to provide direction for those working across the game”, the post reads.
He rounded it up with a call to the Gusau led football body to focus on developing the game with home grown players, which he said is the first step for success at senior level. “High quality, home-grown players are the cornerstone of any successful senior team and domestic competition”.
Osas Mahawi
