Udeze Reflects on Players’ Struggle Between Club and National Team

Former Super Eagles defender, Ifeanyi Udeze has revealed the intense battle between Greek club PAOK FC and the Nigeria Football Federation over his availability for international duty during his playing career.

Udeze, who made two appearances for the Super Eagles at the 2002 World Cup, made the revelation while reflecting on the difficulties many players encounter in balancing club commitments with the opportunity to represent the Super Eagles.

The former defender first gained international recognition at the inaugural UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup in Portugal in 1997, a tournament that also served as a platform for future stars such as Spain’s Xavi Hernandez and Portuguese legend Simao Sabrosa to showcase their talents on the global stage.

Speaking on the 5th House Podcast, Udeze recalled how he was forced to make a difficult decision shortly after joining PAOK, when he received an invitation to feature for the national team at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

According to the former left-back, the coach made it clear that accepting the invitation could jeopardise his place in the first team.

“Sydney 2000, I was supposed to be there because I just moved from one club to another. So, I have to establish myself as a first-team player there,” Udeze revealed.

“So, the coach called me when the invitation came to Sydney, is either you choose the national team or you choose to stay here?”

“But know one thing, if you go to the national team, if you come back, you will start fresh. There’s no automatic shirt for you. So you will start fresh to see if you will be a first team player in my team.”

Udeze further disclosed that the struggle between club and country continued in 2001 ahead of Nigeria’s FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Ghana in Accra.

The former West Brom defender, who delivered an outstanding performance in the encounter, said PAOK initially refused to release him despite repeated requests from the NFF.

He explained that the dispute became so serious that he found himself caught between both parties, with conflicting messages being exchanged.

“In 2001 as well, our World Cup qualifiers against Ghana, we played 1-1 in Accra. I think I was the Man of the Match in the game,” he explained.

“What happened before the game, my club (PAOK) refused to release me. I think our coach in the national team was Bonfrère Jo.”

“It is not a small battle between my club, me, and the NFF. I was in the middle.

“NFF will send a fax to my club, my club will send back to NFF that I refuse to honour the invitation. Whereas, they are the ones who told me not to go.”

Udeze noted that PAOK were determined to keep him because he had become an important member of the squad and the club feared losing him to injury during international duty.

“I am a first team player now. We have about three or four important games and they need me. They don’t want me to go and come with injury. So, they try to protect me.”

Despite the pressure from his employers, Udeze insisted he was determined to honour Nigeria’s call-up.

“I told them to talk to NFF and I won’t tell them that – I have told them I want to come,” he added.

“My club said, if you go see what will happen and I told them whatever wants to happen, let it happen.”

The former international also disclosed that the disagreement eventually had financial consequences, claiming the Greek side withheld bonuses owed to him under the terms of his contract.

“But at the end of the day, my club owes me that money. There is this clause on my contract where I get 25 euro every one minute apart from my match bonus. For a whole season, they refused to pay me that money.”

Despite the obstacles, Udeze remained committed to representing Nigeria whenever called upon.

His determination ultimately saw him establish himself as a key figure in the national team setup, earning 35 caps for the Super Eagles.