Why some foreign based Nigerian footballers are yet to be Called to the national team

Folarin Balogun is a highly-rated young footballer who plays for Arsenal FC in the English Premier League and is currently out on loan to the Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims.

While he is of Nigerian descent and eligible to play for the Nigerian national team, it is ultimately up to the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to decide whether or not to call him up for international duty. It’s important to note that the NFF has a process for selecting players for the national team, and Balogun may still need to be chosen for various reasons.

Reasons for Folarin Balogun not being called to play for Nigeria

Below are a few possible reasons why Nigeria hasn’t called on Folarin Balogun yet.

• An Abundance of Strikers in The Nigerian Football Team

Nigeria has a rich history of producing talented strikers, and the current Nigerian men’s football team continues to have many talented players in that position. Some of the notable strikers currently playing for Nigeria include:

• Victor Osimhen – Plays for Napoli in the Italian Serie A and is considered one of Nigeria’s brightest young talents. Additionally, he sits first in the Serie A top scorers chart with 19 goals across 21 appearances.
• Paul Onuachu – Plays for Genk in the Belgian Pro League and has been in fine form for club and country.
• Kelechi Iheanacho – Plays for Leicester City in the English Premier League and has been in excellent form recently, scoring crucial goals for his club and country.
• Ahmed Musa is a veteran of the Nigerian national team. He has played in two World Cups and currently plays for the Turkish club Fatih Karagumruk.

In addition to these players, Nigeria has several other promising young strikers who could impact the national team in the coming years.

Looking at the above list, one could argue in favor of Nigeria not calling on Balogun because such a massive depth in their team’s center-forward role could drastically affect his game time and prevent him from making it into the playing squad.

• Lack of Initiative by The Super Eagles’ Coach Jose Peseiro

In an interview with BBC Sports Africa, while talking about his love for his family and the roots that trace back to Nigeria, Balogun claimed that he’s open to playing for Nigeria. He added that once he’s sure about his options for an international career, he’d discuss them in detail with his family, friends, and manager.

It means that Balogun has been expecting a call-up from the African nation. However, he also clarified that he’d be open to considering playing for Nigeria only if he receives a call-up from the NFF. Still, a delay caused by a lack of initiative from their head coach, Jose Peseiro, has forced Folarin into making such a statement.

Since the final decision to call up a player lies with the coach. The presence of Jose Peseiro is probably the reason why Nigeria has yet to call on Folarin. Consequently, former Nigerian goalkeeper Andrew Aikhoumogbe called out Jose Peseiro and requested him to convince the Hale End academy graduate to play for Nigeria before it’s too late.

• The COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on international football. It has led to disruptions in the scheduling of matches and tournaments, affecting the opportunities for players to get called up to national football teams.

Hence, the general process of selecting players for the Nigerian national team, which includes scouting, observing, consulting, and sending a call-up, has yet to start. Fewer international football matches and tournaments mean lesser opportunities for the Nigerian team to experiment with new talent since the stakes are higher than usual.

Regardless, it’d behoove the Super Eagles not to delay Balogun’s call-up beyond the end of the season, as the USMNT and the Three Lions are waiting to hijack him too.