Blaming Elegbeleye for CHAN Failure Unjustified

The Nigerian Super Eagles B’s ignominious exit from the African Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament has sparked heated debates, with some sections of the media and public blaming NPFL chairman Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye for the team’s disastrous campaign.

However, experts argue that this blame is unjustified, citing several factors that contributed to the failure.

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim attributes the team’s failure to poor preparation and questionable selection, rather than the quality of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).

Former Flying Eagles coach Tunde Disu also says the Nigerian league is not poor and remains competitive, and said the failure of the team should be blamed on poor preparations and player selection.

He said no one can blame Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye-led NPFL, as the NPFL did not select the players. The coach’s failure to use the last season’s league highest scorer Ana’s Yusuf beyond 90 substitution appearance in the the first game and no show in second match also raised a lot of questions on the selection of players.

The team was composed of 10 players from Remo Stars, which doesn’t represent the entire 20-club league. The NPFL wasn’t involved in player selection, camp location, or the CHAN tournament. The league body wasn’t part of the selection process for the CHAN team. NPFL didn’t choose the camp location, which might have impacted the team’s performance. NPFL leadership wasn’t invited to the tournament. NPFL Chairman Gbenga Elegbeleye wasn’t the coach of the team.

Despite the CHAN Eagles’ failure, the NPFL has made significant strides in recent years.

The league’s alignment with Europe’s top leagues has improved its competitiveness, and refereeing standards have also seen notable enhancements.

NPFL Chairman, Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye has emphasized transparency in league operations and urged stakeholders to work towards the league’s prosperity.

Rather than apportioning blame, a thorough investigation into what went wrong is essential.

The team needs to address these issues holistically to avert future failures.

The NPFL and coaching staff must work together to identify areas for improvement and develop strategies to enhance player performance.

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