Former England international, John Fashanu has blamed the exclusion of Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori from Euro 2020 squad as a result of their decision to play for the Three Lions of England ahead of the Super Eagles.
Recall that Tomori and Abraham were dropped by Gareth Southgate for this summer’s tournament despite their success at Chelsea and AC Milan.
Fashanu, who regretted not choosing the Super Eagles ahead of England noted that the duo of Tomori and Abraham would have been a regular starter for Nigeria if they had changed allegiance.
The former Wimbledon star stated this in an interview with The Punch, where he advised other players of Nigerian descent to chose Nigeria first.
“I am saying this to all footballers who are waiting to play for England or Nigeria, don’t make the same mistake twice.
“Some 20 years ago, when I was given the opportunity, you can say on one side it was wrong because I didn’t get the longevity playing for England due to so many excellent players in the English team. I could have played for Nigeria but if I had played for Nigeria I wouldn’t receive any financial compensation.
“If you want to play and have longevity, choose Nigeria because it is so sure that they will never get a consistent run of matches playing for England; that is not possible. But many players of Nigerian descent are not aware of this.
“If you play for England and you are in England you are entitled to a pension, which is very important for a family man. Every footballer who played for England should be earning a nice pension now, but those who played for other countries are still working for money.”
He added, “England is where the money is but psychologically the love of your country is also important. I can say if I get another shot next time, I will definitely play for Nigeria, the love of my life and that’s why I’ve been here for 14 years.”
