Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, has defended his inclusion of Kano Pillars captain Ahmed Musa and nine other players from the Nigeria Premier Football League in his squad for the Unity Cup exhibition tournament and the international friendly against Russia scheduled to take place in the United Kingdom.
The tournament will feature Nigeria, Ghana, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago.
Ahead of the four-nation tournament aimed at promoting unity through football and culture, Chelle had invited 26 players and according to an update from the Nigeria Football Federation, 22 players have arrived at the Eagles camp in London camp.
The Unity Cup will run from May 27 to 31, with Caribbean neighbours Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago taking to the pitch in the opening fixture of the tournament later tonight while Nigeria and Ghana will face off on Wednesday.
Speaking ahead of their game against the Black Stars, Chelle defended the inclusion of several home-based players.
“We have a lot of players in Nigeria. So, we need to give them a chance to show us their quality.
“It’s difficult for me to talk about anything else outside the pitch. But I can tell you one thing: we are focused. We have a game project. We want to build a team and create an identity with this game project and tactical plan.
“So, we need to bring into this team players who can quickly understand and adapt to this game plan. The Unity Cup is a great opportunity to test some players and try different systems so we can be ready by September.”
“I was recently in Nigeria. I watched a few matches in the national league, and I spent time analysing these players. That’s my job. I believe they have quality, and they deserve to be given a chance. I am confident they can bring a lot of intensity, aggressiveness, and strong desire to represent the country.
“I have selected 10 players from the national league. I can tell you that they are good players. For example, I think Ahmed is a very good player, in fact, a great one. Every Nigerian knows that. For me, this is a fact.”
