Juwon Oshaniwa questions the future of local players in Super Eagles

Former Nigerian international Juwon Oshaniwa has expressed concern over the future of local Super Eagles players, questioning whether footballers playing in the national league still have a realistic path to representing the national team.

Oshaniwa noted that the current state of the Nigerian national league requires significant intervention and emphasized that the system no longer reflects the standard that existed during his playing days.

According to the former defender, administrators must invest more in the welfare and development of players competing in the Nigerian Professional Football League and the Nigerian National League.

“A lot has happened from our time to where we are now because it is not the same league that we used to have in the national league. A lot needs to be done. These players have to be properly taken care of, talking about their well-being and mobility. Our administrators need to put a lot into our national league,” Oshaniwa said.

The former international also questioned Nigeria’s competitiveness on the continent, insisting that significant investment is necessary before local players can be expected to compete for places in the national team.

“How are we doing on the continent? We need to invest a lot in our domestic leagues before we start talking about them wanting to represent Nigeria.”

Oshaniwa further argued that if a foreign player is to be replaced by a national league player, coaches and administrators must have full confidence in the local talent.

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“If you have to replace a foreign player with a national player, you should be able to bet your money on him. What you don’t see, you can’t achieve.”

He also criticized corruption and selfish interests within the Nigerian football administration, warning that such issues are harming the growth of the game.

“Despite all this corruption and selfishness, they are killing football. So what is the hope of the national player if he cannot represent his nation?”

Juwon Oshaniwa was part of the Nigerian team that won the 2013 African Cup of Nations and also represented the country at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.