YOBO: EAGLES LACK WORLD CLASS PLAYERS

Yobo
Super Eagles vice captain, Joseph Yobo, has admitted that the current Nigerian players lack the pedigree to rank among the top in the world. The Everton defender was reacting to continuous snub of Nigerian players in the African Footballer of the Year award in an interview with Hi Magazine and he insisted no Nigerian player deserved the gong.

According to him Nigeria is facing a new phase in her football which will soon pass away, noting that players need to be top performers for top clubs before they could run for the crown.

'It is a transition you know? I think that the players we have now, to be realistic, are not meeting up to standard. I think to win that award you have to be a key player either a top striker or a midfielder,' he said.

Coach Lar Largerback has vowed to give all the players a level-playing ground to compete for places in his squad and the the former Marseille player is relishing the competativeness the move will create in the team.

'I think there is going to be a good response. It gives everybody the opportunity to prove himself, those that are not playing work hard, and it is also a good challenge for the players - as they now need to get used to one another,' he said.