'They Want To Destroy Nigerian Football' - Former Nigeria Defender Rubbishes Home Based, Foreign Based Quota System

Former Super Eagles defender Isaac Semitoje has opined that invitation of players to the national teams, especially the Super Eagles should not be based on the leagues they play in.

There have been debates in the Nigeria football fraternity regarding the number of players ought to be involved in national teams' matches with the Nigeria Football Federation said to be keen on enforcing a certain percentage of players to be invited from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) for Super Eagles games.

Speaking exclusively to allnigeriasoccer.com on the issue, former Iwuanyanwu Nationale of Owerri (now Heartland FC) strong man, Isaac Semitoje disagrees with the line of thought that the Eagles should have a quota system.

"I don't think so. Playing in Nigeria league doesn't mean that you are not good enough for the Super Eagles or indeed any other national team," Semitoje, a member of the Super Eagles side that came third in the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal stated.

"They (NFF and Super Eagles technical crew) have to mix  them to get good result.

"To my mind, this issue is just the handiwork of some group of people who want to use that to destroy our football.

"Home based or foreign based players, what matters in the end are good results. That is what is important not where the players are based," Semitoje concluded.

The Super Eagles are billed to play against Uganda in an international friendly on November 20 at the Stephen Keshi Stadium Asaba, with few of the players expected to prosecute the game coming from the domestic league while the foreign legion are expected to dominate the squad for the crucial 2019 AFCON qualifier against South Africa three days earlier.

Izuchukwu Okosi