Eni Aluko gives reason for players snubbing Nigeria for England

Former Chelsea and England forward Eni Aluko has explained the reason why players of Nigerian descent eligible to represent Nigeria and England often prefer to choose the latter for their national team allegiance.

According to Aluko , who herself was born in Nigeria, chose England ahead of the Super Falcons, claiming that Nigerian football lacks appeal.

Speaking on Mikel Obi’s podcast “The Obi One,”, the former England international admitted that it is almost a default decision for players born in the UK.

“I think the players that grew up here (England)and choose to play for their country of heritage, it’s usually because they feel like they can’t, they won’t make it a career for England, right.

So it’s almost a default decision, which it shouldn’t be.”

Aluko, also highlighted that the onus is on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to make the Super Eagles amore appealing option. She emphasized that the country’s football ecosystem often lacks the necessary professionalism, organization, and investment to attract top-tier talent.

“The onus is on the country (Nigeria) to make it a very attractive option. And we know that there’s some issues that still need to be sorted out in terms of the organization, in terms of the investment, in terms of just professionalism, right?”

She added that the situation “shouldn’t be” a default by choice, but until Nigeria addresses the foundational issues of organization and investment, it will continue to be an uphill battle to convince top talent to pledge their allegiance to the Nigerian senior national team.

Players like Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise, JamalMusiala, and Bukayo Saka are just a few examples of elite footballers who were eligible to play for Nigeria but chose to represent other countries.