Nigeria’s summer schedule is unusually packed for a team that missed the World Cup as Eric Chelle’s side will defend the Unity Cup in London from May 26 to 30, before taking on Poland and Portugal in back-to-back European friendlies in June, Footynaija.com reports.
These are six games in roughly five weeks, all against the backdrop of a squad rebuild following the painful playoff exit to DR Congo last November.
The question of who fills those squads has started in Nigerian football circles, and few voices carry more authority on the subject of home-based players than Sunday Mba.
The former Super Eagles midfielder is one of the most celebrated products of the Nigeria Professional Football League, a player who came through Enugu Rangers and Warri Wolves before scoring the winning goal in the 2013 AFCON final against Burkina Faso as part of a squad that famously included six home-based players.
That team, under Stephen Keshi, remains the gold standard for domestic inclusion in the Super Eagles setup.
With Chelle expected to use the Unity Cup as a platform to test new faces, Mba is now calling for the tournament to give NPFL players a genuine opportunity to prove themselves, and do it fairly.
‘There are good players everywhere’
Speaking to Sports 247, Mba urged the selectors to resist the temptation of leaning too heavily on players from a single club when building the squad. It is a concern rooted in recent history.
During Nigeria’s last CHAN campaign, Remo Stars contributed nine players to the squad, a concentration Mba described at the time as contrary to how football should be run.
“This is their opportunity,” he said of home-based players, stressing that the Unity Cup represents exactly the kind of stage where domestic talent should be showcased.
“There are good players everywhere,” he added, arguing that a balanced selection process is essential for both fairness and competitiveness.
Mba was equally pointed on the need for transparency.
“We must avoid that mistake,” he said, referencing the kind of club-heavy selection that he believes undermines the quality and morale of the broader league.
For him, giving deserving players a chance does more than strengthen the national team; it lifts standards across Nigerian football as a whole.
Nigeria face Zimbabwe in their Unity Cup opener on May 26, with Jamaica and India completing the four-team field. For Chelle, the tournament is a chance to cast a wider net before the more demanding tests against Poland and Portugal arrive.
