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CRYSTAL Palace playmaker Ebere Eze has hinted that he may now decided to opt for Nigeria and play for the Super Eagles after pointing out that he has not closed the door on making a Fifa switch.
Ebere, 22, has been the subject of a tug of war between Nigeria and England lately, with both nations desperately fighting for the services of the mercurial playmaker. Having already played for the England U21 team competitively, Ebere will need to undergo a switch through Fifa before he is eligible to feature for Nigeria’s Super Eagles.
It appears that Ebere has been holding out for a senior England call-up and had manager Gareth Southgate capped him, that would have ended the matter. However, that has not happened and the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick has met with Ebere in London and Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr is hoping that the player will apply for Fifa clearance so he can invite the player to camp.
Recently, Ivorian winger Wilfried Zaha warned his Crystal Palace team mate Ebere that he will be making a grave mistake opting for England ahead of Nigeria at international level as the Three Lions will not guarantee him any longevity. Recalling his own experience, Zaha, said he was used in two friendly matches against Sweden in 2012 and Scotland in 2013 and that was the end of his international career with England.
Ebere has now hinted that he may accept Zaha’s advice and opt for Nigeria, pointing out that he has a good relationship with Mr Amaju. Twice in the past, Ebere has trained with the Super Eagles when they have camped in London but he was never capped, tying him down, fuelling the uncertainty.
“A lot happened when I made my decision to play for England and my discussion with the president of the Nigerian FA went well. It is something that you never close the door on and I have a very good relationship with Mr Pinnick.”
After not hearing from England for over three years, Zaha applied for a Fifa switch and after it was granted, featured for Ivory Coast in the 2017 African Cup of Nations. Since then, Zaha has gone on to win 18 caps for Ivory Coast, scoring five goals in the process, making him one of the mainstays of the Elephants’ attack.
