BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Contrary to wide held belief, Super Eagles’ coach, Gernot Rohr has declared that he harbors no dislike for the Nigeria-based players in his selection of players for the national team.

 

The coach spoke at the journalists’ hangout packaged by Taiye Ige, a journalist-turned media-cum sports marketer through his Hotsports Media.

 

The event was on the platform sponsored by makers of Peak Milk, the official milk of the Super Eagles.

 

The Super Eagles revealed that his tenure has since seen 19 home based players invited to both the mainstream Super Eagles and the squad for the African Nations Championship which is solely for the domestic players.

After consultations with the team’s media officer, Oluwatoyin Ibitoye, he gave the names of domestic players that have been in the Super Eagles’ camp under him.

 

Rohr declared that almost at every given time, he had up to three Nigeria-based players in his camp.

 

Such players include: Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Emmanuel Daniel, Dele Ajiboye, Jamiu Alimi and Chisom Egbuchulam.

 

The others are Godwin Obaje, Ifeanyi Ifeanyi, Okechukwu Gabriel, Afeez Aremu, Alhassan Ibrahim and Sikiru Olatunbosun.

 

Others include Steven Odey, Olamilekan Adeleye, Ikouwem Udo, Ebube Duru, Sunday Adetunji, Stephen Eze, Junior Lokosa and Theophilus Afelokhai.

 

Rohr further explained that domestic players were not invited for the recent fixtures against South Africa and Uganda because the Nigerian league had been in recess since June and as a result, the players would have been match rusty.

 

He also disclosed that most of the players often invited ended up with careers abroad thus adding up to the foreign-based ones and depleting those from the domestic league.

 

In other instances, Rohr explained, agents suggest these players just to improve on their values and make it easier to sell them abroad.