Writer and poet Mahbubat Salaudeen has challenged Rivers United assistant coach Yemi Olanrewaju’s argument that Nigerian football needs more foreign players to compete effectively at the continental and international levels.

Olanrewaju, speaking after Rivers United’s CAF Champions League elimination by FC San Pedro, had argued that foreign players are essential to the development of a competitive league.

“No league will survive without foreigners. The English Premier League didn’t do well until the Cantonás and the Thierry Henrys started coming in.”

However, Salaudeen believes bringing in foreign players is not the immediate solution to the challenges facing Nigerian football.

Sports247 reports, according to the writer, while foreign recruitment could potentially benefit the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) in the long term, the priority should currently be on exposing domestic clubs and players to a higher level of competition.

“Bringing in foreign players isn’t the solution Nigerian football needs. It may work, but that will be in the long term when the clubs have the money or are willing to spend,” Salaudeen argued.

She instead called for NPFL clubs to regularly play tougher opponents in international friendly matches, stressing that such exposure would help Nigerian players and teams become better prepared for continental competition.

Salaudeen pointed to the recent experience of Nigeria’s women’s U20 national team as an example of the importance of competing against technically superior opposition.

“The Nigeria women U20 national team faced academies/players they were technically better than and somehow we’re disappointed they lost two of their games in the group stage?” she questioned.

For Salaudeen, the problem goes beyond results. She believes Nigerian teams need to consistently test themselves against opponents who operate at a higher technical and tactical level before entering major international competitions.

“They will lose to England too because those girls are not technically prepared for the level of competition needed to excel against such opponents,” she added.

Her comments have reignited the debate over the best pathway for improving Nigerian football, with questions surrounding player development, competitive exposure, club investment and the role of foreign players in the NPFL.

While Olanrewaju sees quality foreign imports as part of the evolution of successful leagues, Salaudeen’s argument places greater emphasis on improving the competitive environment around Nigerian clubs and ensuring domestic players are regularly exposed to stronger opposition.

Rivers United assistant coach Daniel Olanrewaju has admitted that his side effectively lost their CAF Champions League tie against FC San Pedro in the opening 20 minutes, despite producing a spirited comeback in the second leg in Uyo.

Sports247 reports that Rivers United were held to a 2-2 draw by the Ivorian side in the return leg, but the result was not enough to overturn the scoreline from the first encounter, as San Pedro progressed on aggregate with away goal rules.

Reflecting on the disappointing elimination, Olanrewaju acknowledged that his team expected a difficult contest but identified their early defensive lapses as the decisive moment in the tie.

“It’s a difficult game, we expected it. We lost the game after conceding two goals in the first 20 minutes,” Olanrewaju said.

According to the Rivers United assistant coach, conceding twice so early against a quality continental opponent left his side with an uphill task.

“I think that was where we lost it. In a continental game, it is not easy to bounce back,” he added.

Rivers United showed character in Uyo by fighting back to secure a 2-2 draw, but the comeback came too late to rescue their Champions League campaign.

Olanrewaju stressed that the intensity and tactical demands of continental football are significantly different from the domestic league, making it particularly difficult for a team to recover from an early setback.

“This isn’t NPFL,” he noted.

The coach also paid tribute to San Pedro, describing the Ivorian outfit as one of the strongest sides Rivers United have faced, both tactically and in terms of individual quality.

“This is one of the best sides, tactical and talent-wise. It’s unfortunate, honestly,” he said.

The elimination means Rivers United will now turn their attention to their domestic campaign while reflecting on the lessons from their continental experience.

For Olanrewaju and the Rivers United technical crew, the challenge will be to address the defensive lapses that proved costly against San Pedro and ensure the team can compete more effectively in future CAF competitions.

Despite their elimination, the comeback in Uyo demonstrated the resilience within the squad, but the early damage had already placed the Nigerian representatives in a difficult position.

For Rivers United, the continental campaign ended with disappointment, but the experience against a tactically accomplished San Pedro side could prove valuable as they continue their quest for success on both the domestic and continental fronts.