Club of nations

THREE Bohs players could make international debuts this season after some unexpected approaches to the Northside SSE Airtricity Premier Division club.

Last week winger Aymen Ben Mohamed flew out to join up with the Tunisian national squad at a training camp for an African Cup of Nations qualifier and teammate Ismahil Akinade says he’s hopeful of a call up to the Nigerian national team.

The Bohs striker told Northside People that while he hasn’t heard anything formally, he confirmed he’s been contacted by a representative from the Nigerian Football Federation.

Akinade, (22), has missed much of this season with a hamstring injury and the Northside club has been finding goals hard to come by in his absence.

He says he still feels a little bit ‘sluggish’ since his return to the Gypsies’ starting line-up and confirmed rumours of talks with Super Eagles are legitimate.

“To be honest I haven’t formally heard anything but there has been some whispers in the last few weeks,” Akinade said.

“I got a phone call from a representative from the Nigerian Football Federation. He was only in the country for two weeks and I think he’s gone back to Nigeria now but he couldn’t get out to see me play because I was injured while he was here.

“He told me to get a few clips together so when that is all sorted I’m going to send it out to him. So it’s looking like it could happen and it’s not just someone making it up.”

Although he was born in Ibadana, Nigeria, Akinade has spent the majority of his life in Ireland and moved across with his parents at the age of six.

He has returned to Nigeria just once since making the move to Dublin in 2000, for a family funeral, but says if the opportunity arose to return for international football duty he’d gladly go.

“I went back to Nigeria in 2008 for my grandmother’s burial but I was only 14 so it was a bit of a blur, I don’t really remember it too well,” Akinade said.

“It’d be great to be involved but hopefully they’ll start looking at more players in the League of Ireland. There’s quality players in the league but they still choose to go abroad to pick players in England. 

“Hopefully this is some kind of pathway for players in the league here.”

Akinade’s contact with the Nigerian national team came in the same week that Bohs teammate Ayman Ben Mohamed was called up to the Tunisia squad.

It was also reported last week in The Irish Sun that Roberto Lopes has asked his father, who’s from Cape Verde, to reach out to soccer officials there to see if he too can join the developing international club at Bohs.

REPORT: Jack O’Toole