Former Nigeria International, Ifeanyi Udeze has claimed the NPFL is in dire need of quality players to raise the competitiveness of the league again.

Reacting to the ouster of three out of four Nigerian clubs in the CAF Club competitions this season, Udeze said among other things, the dearth of quality in the league is plaguing clubs.

The former Bendel Insurance defender, who was speaking on Brila FM’s Big Sports Breakfast show on Thursday, also identified poor welfare and shoddy preparation as some other concerns the league and clubs contend with.

‘As a player you have needs and expectations when you sign a professional contract. I can assure you no player is happy to sit around in a league where clubs fail to fulfill their obligation; personally I won’t.

‘Looking back over the years, this has driven many players out of the league and it begs the question what materials do we have left? To be honest, our best players aren’t in the league.

‘There are no real quality here any more,’ Udeze explained.

On Wednesday, Akwa United were dumped out of the CAF Confederation Cup despite a 3-1 win in Uyo. The Promise Keepers lost on away goals rule in spite of the 3-3 aggregate result against Al-Hilal.

MFM FC also failed to find their fire as they labored to break their host, Djoliba in the second-leg fixture in Mali. The NPFL side lost the first leg in Lagos by 1-0.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, League champions Plateau United were hammered 4-0 by USM Alger; the tie ended 2-5 on aggregate.