Why I Dumped Nigeria - David Alaba

Written by Dipo Ogunsola Saturday, 26 May 2012

ShareBAYERN Munich youngster, David Alaba, says he should have been playing representative football for Nigeria but was denied by stringent eligibility rule by football officials in the country.
Alaba, whose father is Nigerian and of  Filipino mother, plays for Austrian national team but only after he has been turned down by Nigeria.
The defender said he actually planned to join Nigeria's  cadet  team which won the 2007 FIFA World Youth Championship at South Korea but words reached him of his ineligibilty
''I wanted to play for Nigeria but I must confess that there was no formal approach for me. A scout actually discussed that with me. I was excited because of my dad, he was a fan of Sunday Oliseh when Oliseh played for FC Koln. As a kid, I loved to watch Victor Agali in the jersey of Hansa Rostock,'' he told an Austrian news medium.
However, Alaba was shocked when told by the scout that Nigeria had plans mainly for its home-grown talents.
'' I got the information that Nigeria will only consider those who were in the country perhaps because of travelling logistics and that is the end of that."