'Just a pitch with grass' - Iwobi urges NFF to provide infrastructure to match Super Eagles ability 

Alex Iwobi has urged the Nigeria Football Federation to provide infrastructure to match the ability of the Super Eagles players, most of whom play for top European clubs. 

Five days ago, Nigeria were shocked 1-0 at home by 118th ranked Guinea-Bissau in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier staged at the National Stadium in Abuja, with many fans and pundits suggesting that the playing surface contributed to the loss. 

Iwobi and manager Jose Peseiro diplomatically refused to comment on the state of the pitch during the post-match press conference in Abuja , so as not to incur the wrath of the Nigerian Federation and Sports Ministry.

However, the Portuguese football tactician threw caution to the wind on Monday evening when he admitted that the Super Eagles played on a better pitch in Bissau compared to the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.

Before his trip to Africa for the internationals this month, Iwobi had an interview with The Beautiful Game Podcast, where he revealed some of the challenges being faced by the Super Eagles players. 

"I'm not going to say something that gets me into trouble. For example we don't even know if we are going to have a nice pitch when we play," Iwobi stressed. 

"Obviously we've got a new coach now and we played Sierra Leone in a difficult game and we just about beat them 2-1, then we played São Tomé and Príncipe and beat them 10-0, but we played on a great pitch.

"A lot of us play in Europe now so we play in great pitches where it's easy to just manipulate the ball, let the ball do the work, play freely.

"If we had that in Nigeria, I feel like it would be difficult to beat us. I am confident enough to say that not many teams can beat us.

"Having a good pitch, if we have that, I feel like we'd be unstoppable. Just a pitch with grass, no crops".

Iwobi is the only outfield player to have gone the distance in all the matches played by the national team since the appointment of Jose Peseiro as coach. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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