Eni Akuko

By Ifreke Inyang

Former Chelsea forward, Eni Akuko, has explained why players who are eligible to represent Nigeria and England often prefer the latter.

According to Aluko, Nigerian football lacks appeal.

World-class footballers like Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala, Bukayo Saka, among others, have opted to pledge international allegiance to other countries.

Aluko herself chose England ahead of the Super Falcons.

Speaking on Mikel Obi’s podcast, Aluko admitted that it is almost a default decision for players born in the UK.

She said: “I think the players that grew up here (England) and choose to play for their country of heritage, it’s usually because they feel like they can’t, they won’t make it a career for England, right.

“So it’s almost a default decision, which it shouldn’t be.

“The onus is on the country (Nigeria) to make it a very attractive option. And we know that there’s some issues there that still need to be sorted out in terms of the organization, in terms of the investment, in terms of just the professionalism, right?”