The absence of Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) players from the Super Eagles squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has sparked criticism, with NFF Technical Director Augustine Eguavoen expressing disappointment over the snub.

Speaking to Footy Africa, Eguavoen questioned why head coach Eric Chelle failed to include any home-based players in the AFCON squad. “Some players in the team may not even get a minute of action, so why couldn’t we include a few players from the local league? At least three or four would have been better,” he remarked.

The debate over domestic players in the Super Eagles is long-standing, with many football analysts arguing that the NPFL’s current crop of talent is not at par with their foreign-based counterparts. Victor Oluwafemi, Content Lead at Football 411, told Sportsblog247.com that the NPFL has declined in quality since the days of players like Sunday Mba and Godfrey Oboabona, making it difficult for home-based stars to compete for national team spots.

Oluwafemi also criticized Eguavoen, noting that he himself did not prioritize local players when coaching the Eagles, highlighting that only John Obu and Ezenwa have featured from the NPFL since 2019. He described Eguavoen’s public comments as “performative” and argued that criticism should be directed toward improving the league rather than questioning Chelle’s selections.

While acknowledging past NPFL inclusions such as Harcourt, Oluwafemi stressed that Chelle should be allowed to choose the best players for Nigeria, noting that the domestic league’s current quality does not yet justify widespread inclusion in the national team.