ETAFIA blames Chan Eagles fighting for poor NPFL standard

The former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Greg ETAFIA, has expressed concern about the state of Nigerian football, linking it with the struggles of the Chan Eagles in the current tournament.

ETAFIA pointed out the poor standard of the Premier Football League (NPFL) of Nigeria as the main reason for the bad performances of the team.

He emphasized the need for the NPFL to be better structured and more competitive.

“You need to treat your local league very well, which is very important because that is where you get many talents that eventually move to Europe, North Africa or the southern region,” he said.

ETAFIA pointed out that the failure of Nigerian clubs to reach the group stages of continental CAF tournaments in recent years has denied players the opportunity to prove against the elite competition in Africa.

“When the clubs constantly compete in the CAF Champions League Cup and the Confederation Cup, the local league becomes stronger, as more teams aspire to reach that level. In the last five or six years, Nigeria has barely reached the group stages. That is the worst part,” he added.

He stressed that raising the NPFL standard is essential if Nigerian clubs are among the best teams on the continent.