The interim manager of the Women Senior national team, Justin Magudu is ready to give more opportunities to players based in Nigeria to fight for a place in the national team, Sports247 reports.
He made this disclosure on Tuesday in Lagos after the Super Falcons defeated the Green Ladies of Algeria by 4-1 at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena Onikan in the second leg of the international friendly between the two countries of which the first leg in Ikenne , last Saturday ended 2-0 in favour of the Super Falcons.
It was a sort of a new beginning for the Super Falcons after the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF failed to renew the contract of Randy Waldrum after four years , Justin Magudu invited a mixture foreign and locally based players to prosecute the matches.
A number of the home based players were impressive, the highest goal scorer award winner in the Nigeria Women Football League, Premiership, Folashade Ijamilusi scored a Hattrick as Nigeria ran to an impressive 4-1 win on Tuesday.
In the post press conference, Justin Magudu addresses the disparities between Foreign based and home based players, calling it a mere nomenclature as only the best will be selected to play as long as we want the best for the country.
” This disparity,between the home based and foreign based players is just nomenclature, ” began Magudu.
” All you want is the best for Nigeria , if they proved to be better , certainly they will be retained and be given the opportunity they are also Nigerians.”
The coach said it’s all about giving them the opportunity and grabbing it , that playing abroad is not an automatic advantage to represent Nigeria over those playing in Nigeria.
” It’s not everybody that is abroad is better than everyone playing at home.”
” It’s all about opportunity so you have such opportunities and you utilise it, certainly they will surely do well.”
” All those that are playing outside today started at home and they were given the opportunity at one time or the other and they used it as a stepping stone to get to where they are today.”
He then lay specific emphasis on the details on how he is willing to be deliberate about using the invitation of the home based players to develop the leagues in Nigeria
” The ones that are at home, we will be looking at them because we must also use them to develop our league , to promote our and then to give more opportunity to other younger ones that are coming to make them believe that you don’t necessarily have to go and play in another country before you can be given the attention.”
” You can be given attention even when you play here and that will also encourage a lot of them to stay , rather than go out to sign one or two months contracts outside where they begin to feel it’s only when you go outside that you will be given the opportunity.”
” if they know opportunities like this exist, the competition at the level of the league will become tougher because every player will want to distinguish themselves even in the league because she can be given the opportunity to play for the national team too.” Magudu submitted.
The Super Falcons bounced back to winning ways after losing all their three group matches at the 2024 Paris and Olympics as former Robo Queens players Ajibade Rasheedat Folashade Ijamilusi, and Monday Gift gave Nigeria a 6-1 aggregate scoreline against the Green Ladies over the two legs of the international friendly encounter.
