Former Super Eagles defender, Sam Sodje, has voiced his concerns about Nigeria’s prolonged struggles in football development, citing the lack of a proper technical center as a key issue holding back progress.
Speaking in an interview with Brila.net, Sodje emphasized the critical role a well-equipped technical center plays in nurturing talent and advancing football from the grassroots to the professional level.
He argued that such infrastructure is even more important than focusing solely on the senior national team.
“We’ve been suffering technically for so many years. From Amaju’s time till now, we’re struggling big time.
Until we have a proper technical center, we will always struggle,” Sodje stated.
He continued, “It doesn’t take many years to set up a center, but it’s very important. It’s more important than the national team or anything else they do in sports.
Their focus should be on establishing a center where all national teams, not just the Super Eagles, can benefit.”
Sodje, drawing from his experiences in the UK, highlighted the value of world-class training facilities and noted that many African nations have already made significant progress in this area.
He urged Nigeria to follow suit by building a center that can compete with the best on the continent.
“In Nigeria, we are far behind. If they are serious about making sports a viable profession, then having a center is essential,” he concluded.
