TheCable

Sunday Oliseh, former Super Eagles head coach, says Nigeria must improve its local leagues if the country hopes to replicate Morocco’s feat at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

The ex-Super Eagles captain spoke in a chat with Arise TV on Monday.

Morocco became the first African country to qualify for the semi-final stage of the World Cup.

The North Africans defeated European football powerhouses like Belgium, Spain and Portugal to achieve the feat.

Among the factors praised for the Morrocans’ success in Qatar is the development of their local league.

Speaking on the lessons Nigeria can glean from the tournament, Oliseh said “a solid national team” is only possible with a good national league.

He said Nigeria does “not have a performing league” and is clearly missing out on its power as a “breeding ground for talents”.

Oliseh, a member of FIFA’s technical study group, said all other solutions to Nigeria’s football woes can only be built on youth development.

“It’s not just a leaf or two we can take from this tournament. Let’s even look at the Moroccans — it’s good they did well, however — but Nigeria is supposed to be the giant of Africa. We should be pioneers and not followers,” Oliseh said

“But in the situation that we have found ourselves in now, for us to improve, we have to imitate and improve on what is standing to get better.

“You cannot have a solid national team if you do not have a national league. And at the moment, we do not have one that is performing. The national league is the breeding ground for talents. And for a nation as huge as ours, we have to do a lot.

“One of the major things we have to improve on is youth development. We have to solve that first, and then other solutions can build on it.”