Dominic Iorfa Snr says his son will not play for Nigeria until he reaches the age of 23

FORMER Super Eagles winger Dominic Iorfa has clarified the air on his son being called up to play for the England under-21 team saying that his offspring will switch his allegiance to Nigeria when he hits 23.

 

Earlier this week, England U21 coach Gareth Southgate, invited Dominic Iorfa Jnr and three other Nigerians to camp for a friendly against the US next month. In a move that could threaten the possibility of these youngsters playing for Nigeria, Jordon Ibe of Liverpool, Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspurs, Dominic Iorfa of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chuba Akpom, currently of Hull City on loan from Arsenal, have all been called up for England.

 

Of the quartet, it was the invitation of Iorfa that raised the most eyebrows as apart from the fact that his dad is a former international, Iorfa Snr is currently the vice chairman of Lobi Stars and has been a Nigerian Football Federation official for years. Clearing the air on the matter, Iorfa Snr said his son will only consider playing for Nigeria when he is 23 years old.

 

Iorfa Jnr, 19, is a rangy right fullback who has established himself as a regular starter with  English Championship club Wolves. His good form is what has attracted the England youth coach but his father said it will not affect his son's commitment to Nigeria's senior team the Super Eagles.

 

“My boy will still play for Nigeria but that will be when he is 23, much older and matured because a lot of things are going on in the age-group teams and nobody wants to be messed up. This invitation shows the boy is making steady progress.”

 

Under Fifa rules, once a player has featured for one country at youth level, before he can feature for another as a senior, he has to go through a formal switching process. This normally takes a few months once the player agrees to make the change, so Iorfa Jnr will have to go through the process.