Why Players Born Abroad Should Be The Future Of The Super Eagles

Over a decade ago, FIFA regulations prevented players who were either born or grew up abroad but who have African parentage or other nationality that did not switch nationality before the age of 21 from playing for the country of their parents birth. Nigeria did not suffer much from this regulation at the time, but the same cannot be said of some Francophone countries that lost key players to other countries. Senegal lost Patrick Vieira to France; Zidane to Algeria, Cape Verde lost Nani to Portugal and a host of other African countries lost players who have gone on to be world class players.

However, it was fitting that it was an African country that brought a proposal before the FIFA congress for the previous regulation to be changed. It was the Algerian FA that tabled a proposal that players that have dual nationality should be able to switch allegiance at any time without restriction of age. It did not come as a surprise that since the change, the Algerians have been the highest African beneficiary of this change, with more than half of the Algerian squad to the last World Cup in Brazil being players born in France. Also, other Francophone countries have benefited also from this change. Cape Verde has seen players that grew up in Portugal now part of the national team. Both the Island of Cape Verde and Algeria currently have the two best teams in Africa going by the latest FIFA rankings, and this has been achieved through their ability to court players that grew up in foreign countries under better football training.

In the case of Nigeria, it has been a mixed case as regard the number of players that have switched nationality. However, despite the slow pace at which players with Nigerian parents that were born abroad switch nationality, the trend is currently changing, the likes of Leon Balogun who has a German mother and a Nigerian father and a player at bundesliga side Mainz has been part of the national team set up for almost three years after he choose to play for Nigeria. The defender was part of the Mainz side that defeated Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena for the first time this season.

However the most high profile switch to date has been that of Alex Iwobi of Arsenal who happens to be the nephew of Nigerian legend Austin Jay Jay Okocha. The 19 year old has seen his stock grow in recent weeks after some stellar displays in Arsenal FA cup campaign, but it was his display against Barcelona at the Nou Camp and against Everton at Goodison Park when he opened his account for the gunners, that has made many to sit up and see what he is made up.

What is interesting about these players that grew up abroad is that their actual age can easily be ascertained because there are database of records. What this means is that they can be relied on for a number of years to form the nucleus of the national teams. A player that is truly nineteen has at least 15 years with the national team. If this approach is adopted in the way players are selected for the various national teams, it can further the development of football as planning with certain players would become easy as you know that these players would be around for a certain period of time without the fear that their performance would not decline because of a false age.

A clue of this is the recent turnover of players from Nigeria’s successes at the Under17 level. They have not gone on to replicate the same performances at a higher level because of a physical decline due to age. Some of the players from the 2007 winning Golden Eaglets have practically disappeared from football radar, meanwhile players like Real Madrid and Germany’s Toni Kroos from that tournament, and Bojan Krkic are still going strong in football. Even some of the players from the 2013 winning Golden Eaglet have not gone on to anything good in football terms. Only Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho can be said to be a shining light from that squad. While the jury is still out on how the players that won the 2015 tournament would turn out in a few years.

The only way for Nigeria football to overcome the scenario where players suddenly disappear from radar after a few performances is for the authorities and coaches to carry out a paradigm shift in focusing on players who have dual nationality but where born abroad, It is then actual sustainable football development can truly occur in terms of what Nigeria can achieve with the Super Eagles and other national teams.