Efe Sodje demands ex-players’ role in Nigeria football review

Former Nigeria defender Efe Sodje, who earned 12 caps for the Super Eagles, wants ex-players and independent football professionals included in the review of Nigerian football. He warned that allowing people with previous links to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to dominate the process could limit its value.

Sodje supports the decision to examine what has happened in Nigerian football in recent years, but believes the committee’s membership will determine whether the exercise produces meaningful change. In his view, a review led mainly by former NFF officials or employees could struggle to assess the federation’s problems without bias.

The former international wants the process to draw on people who have experienced the game beyond administration. He believes former players can offer insight into the national-team system and other challenges that may not be clear to officials working outside the dressing room. Other football professionals, he added, should also have a place in the review.

Sodje represented Nigeria at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2002 World Cup. The London-born defender became widely recognised for wearing a green-and-white bandana during his career, which included spells with Stevenage Borough, Macclesfield Town, Luton Town, Crewe Alexandra, Huddersfield Town, Yeovil Town, Gillingham and Bury in England.

His involvement in the sport continued after his playing career through coaching and football consultancy. In 2021, he arranged a coaching clinic in Lagos to help young Nigerian players learn modern training methods and prepare for professional opportunities abroad. Former internationals and other stakeholders have also been calling for greater accountability and fundamental changes in the administration of Nigerian football.

For Sodje, the review must avoid becoming another administrative exercise that produces recommendations without confronting the deeper issues. He wants people who understand the game from inside the national-team structure, but are not tied to the same system, to help identify the problems and shape the solutions.