Peace Cup: Foreign scouts excited with next gen Eagles

Lagos played host to Europe’s talent hunters last weekend, as the maiden Peace Cup turned the Legacy Pitch of the National Stadium, Surulere, into a shopfront for Nigeria’s next generation of footballing exports.

Organised by Dominion Excellent Football Academy, the tournament drew young talents from academies across the country and attracted scouts from Turkey, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, who were on hand to evaluate the players.

Speaking to journalists, the Chief Executive Officer of Dominion Excellent Football Academy, Ogechi Agana, described the academy as a faith-based institution committed to putting God first while creating opportunities for young footballers.

According to Agana, the Peace Cup was conceived as a platform for undiscovered talents to display their abilities and attract international opportunities.

“This event is faith based and a way for us to gather and showcase talent. We believe that everybody has an opportunity, and we feel we can create that avenue for equal opportunity,” she said.

“We had scouts from Turkey, the Netherlands and Germany, and they have come for the tournament so that we can identify one or two young talents who are ready for international exposure.”

Also present at the tournament was former Super Eagles assistant coach Benjamin James, who served under former head coach Finidi George.

James was joined by former Dutch international and ex-Cambuur midfielder Oguzhan Turk, both forming part of a scouting team in Lagos in search of promising Nigerian players who could earn opportunities in Europe.

Turk said the tournament had given scouts a glimpse of several raw talents but cautioned that the players still had work to do to sharpen their abilities.

“The future depends on the boys. They need to improve themselves. We are going to pick the best ones and give them a chance in Turkey, but they also need to work hard,” he said.

“There is a lot of potential in Nigeria. I always say this whenever I am here. There is big potential in Nigeria, and you can see it. Hopefully, we can pick some good ones.”