Ex-Super Eagles Star Blasts Chelle for Excluding Premier League Star From Provisional Squad
- Eric Chelle announced his first Super Eagles squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
- There were few notable omissions in the squad, which has attracted criticism from the fans
- A former Super Eagles defender has hit out at the manager for excluding a Premier League star
Eric Chelle released his first Super Eagles squad ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier, and different reactions have followed it from Nigerian football fans.
Chelle was appointed as the new Super Eagles head coach in January and was given the main responsibility of turning around the country's World Cup qualifying campaign after a poor start.
Source: Getty Images
Nigeria are fifth in Group C with three points from the first four games, above Zimbabwe and behind Rwanda, Benin Republic, South Africa and Lesotho.
The manager's first two games will be against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, two must-win games if Nigeria wants to have any hope of qualifying for the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
As seen in a post on Super Eagles’ X account, Chelle announced a provisional 39-man squad, which will be trimmed to 23 before the games on March 21 and 25.
There were some notable omissions from the provisional list and some questionable inclusions, even though they may be trimmed out. Eight new players also made the list, including three Nigeria Premier Football League stars.
Ahmed Musa returns to the squad for the first time in two years, having not featured with the team since the end of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Ex-international slams Eric Chelle
Former Super Eagles defender Sam Elijah has hit out at Chelle for excluding Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi despite having an expansive list of 39 players.
“It is not justified. Sincerely to exclude Taiwo Awoniyi, who has been part of the team for a very long time,” Elijah told All Nigeria Soccer.
“He didn't have the chance to express himself, unfortunately, he was ruled out due to injuries. But when he was invited to play for his country, he has made his marks.
“And how can you call up thirty-nine players without Taiwo Awoniyi, who has been part of the team for a long time - to me it is unfair.”
Source: AFP
The former FIFA U17 World Cup winner has fallen in the pecking order at Nottingham Forest, playing backup for in-form striker Chris Wood.
Forest are having a great season. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are third on the Premier League table and also in the FA Cup quarterfinal.
Awoniyi has played 24 times for the two-time UEFA Champions League winners this season, starting six times, with only two of those coming in the Premier League and has scored just twice.
Awoniyi set to wear mask
Legit.ng previously reported that Awoniyi would wear a protective mask after suffering a broken nose during Nottingham Forest’s fifth-round FA Cup win over Exeter City.
The Nigerian forward scored his second goal of the season in the match but was taken off injured after a nasty collision and will now wear a mask like Victor Osimhen.
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Source: Legit.ng
