Former Nigeria Football Federation President, Amaju Pinnick has revealed what prevented Arsenal attacking midfielder, Eberechi Eze from playing for the Super Eagles.
The Queens Park Rangers academy graduate is now capped for his country of birth, England, and was part of the Three Lions squad for the 2024 European Championship.
Nigeria took an early step in March 2017 by inviting Eze to train with the Super Eagles ahead of a friendly match against Burkina Faso.
However, the match was later canceled, which prevented the three-time African champions from officially naming him in their squad.
Pinnick advocated for the recruitment of dual-national players during his tenure at the NFF, with Alex Iwobi, Ola Aina, Joe Aribo, Semi Ajayi and Josh Maja all opting to represent Nigeria over England.
His efforts to have Eze play for Nigeria grew stronger in the weeks before the 2022 World Cup qualifier against Ghana’s Black Stars, with the football administrator organizing a secret, in-person meeting with the Crystal Palace player at his London home.
The Arsenal player was close to deciding his international future with the Super Eagles, but the process was delayed due to administrative changes within the federation.
Discussions went beyond official procedures, involving detailed conversations with the player and his family.
Speaking on ThePlayzone and Dangolo Way podcast, Pinnick said, “Eberechi Eze came, we had a long discussion. I met the father, and we had a long and very meaningful conversation, during which he expressed his agreement.
“The sister manages him. They came to my flat, we had agreed, put all the documentations and he said we should hold on and that was it. Elections came and I left the NFF.
“Very positively, Eberechi Eze, trust me, he loves Nigeria, he actually did. I was going through my messages with him at some point.”
Since his debut for England’s senior national team in a Euro qualifier against Malta, Eze has scored three goals in sixteen appearances for the Three Lions.