Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has opened up on the reasons behind the invitation of Nigeria Premier Football League players, popularly called home-based players, for the Unity Cup tournament in London.
Nigeria will participate in the tournament alongside the likes of Ghana, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Chelle invited 10 Nigeria Premier Football League players headed by Captain Ahmed Musa, who plays for Kano Pillars.
He is expected to lead the team out against Ghana on Wednesday, he has now defended the inclusion of NPFL players.
Chelsea said: “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.”
Chelle said he selected the best players from the NPFL and he is backing them to seize the opportunity.
He said: “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.”
The tournament will kick off with the first semi-final on Tuesday, 27th May, as Trinidad & Tobago tackle Jamaica in the first-ever ‘Trini-Jam’ on UK soil.
The following day, Nigeria will take on four-time African champions Ghana in the second semi-final.
All four teams will return on Saturday, May 31, for the grand finale, with the losers of the semi-final fixtures featuring in the third-place game before the final to determine the Unity Cup 2025 champions.
The Super Eagles will be back in action in an international friendly against Russia on June 6 before the World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and South Africa in September.
