Amaju Pinnick recently discussed the NFF failure to land Eberechi Eze for the Super Eagles.
Former NFF president Amaju Pinnick recently shared insights into their pursuit of Arsenal midfielder Eberechi Eze and the details of their failure to land him for the Super Eagles.
The 28-year-old was one of the foreign-based players of Nigerian descent invited to the Super Eagles camp in 2017 while Pinnick was at the helm as part of the policy to utilise Nigeria’s vast diaspora.
While the initiative proved successful in helping to recruit the likes of Ademola Lookman and Ola Aina, the pursuit of Eze was unsuccessful. The former Crystal Palace star is now a full England international with 16 caps for the Three Lions and is expected to play a significant role for Thomas Tuchel’s side at the World Cup in the summer.
What Amaju Pinnick said
Speaking on a recent podcast appearance, Pinnick, who was head honcho at the federation at the time, claimed that they reached an agreement with Eze to become a Nigeria international. However, he said there was a delay in the official documentation before suggesting that his exit from his role as NFF president contributed to the agreement falling through.
“Eberechi Eze came, I met the dad, and we had a long discussion, and he agreed to play for Nigeria,” Amaju Pinnick told the Playzone and Dangolo Way show. “His sister was his manager at the time, came to my flat, and we already had all the documentation in place.
“However, they told us to hold on, and that was it. Maybe then the elections came, and I left the NFF, and that’s probably why he didn’t play. Possibly, because Eberechi loved Nigeria, I can tell you that. I went through my messages with him at some point.
