By Oluwamayomikun Orekoya with Agency reports

Former Super Eagles defender  Taribo West has said that the current local league does not present Nigerian players with the best platform to parade their skills.

The former Inter Milan defender’s comments came after Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) boss Amaju Pinnick suggested that locally-based internationals, especially those with Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) should not join smaller overseas clubs, adding that the NFF will only approve an International Transfer Certificate (ITC) to those moving to top European clubs.

“You cannot keep people against their will in a league that doesn’t respect them, pay them, protect them or care about their welfare,” West told BBC Sport Africa.

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“His [NPFL] league does not pay footballers and contracts to protect the lives of footballers,” West insisted.

“He doesn’t have any power to prevent any footballer who has access to move to those clubs he described as small leagues or ‘mushroom clubs’. Right now there are no small countries in football.

“We all saw from the ongoing European Championships that the so-called smaller nations are causing upsets against the bigger countries.”

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s Albania, Luxembourg, Moldova or Georgia. Whoever gets an offer to play in these countries has the right to go anywhere they are professionally offered a contract.

“The agents or representatives of the players should fight the NFF in this battle and go where they can earn a living.