Eguavoen Explains Why Chelle Included 2 NPFL Stars in Super Eagles Squad
- Eric Chelle has announced his final 23-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier matches
- Nigeria will face Rwanda and Zimbabwe in the qualifying games later this month in Harare and Uyo
- Former head coach Augustine Eguavoen has explained why two NPFL players made the final list
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Former Super Eagles head coach Augustine Eguavoen has explained why new manager Eric Chelle named two Nigeria Premier Football League stars in his final squad.
The Nigerian Football Federation hired Chelle as the new Super Eagles head coach in January, becoming the first non-Nigerian African to take charge of the team.
Source: AFP
The former Mali national team head coach has been making trips across Europe and Nigerian stadiums to meet existing players and scout new ones ahead of announcing his squads.
He finally released the list this week, as seen in a post on Super Eagles’ X, and included on the list are two NPFL stars, Kayode Bankole and Papa Daniel Mustapha, down from four in the provisional list.
Eguavoen speaks on NPFL stars
NFF's technical director Augustine Eguavoen has opened up on the process Chelle went through before naming the two home based players in his Super Eagles squad.
Eguavoen coached the team throughout the six games of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, helping Nigeria finish first in the same group as Rwanda, Benin Republic and Libya.
He named two NPFL stars in his squad for the final games against Benin Republic and Rwanda but couldn't give them minutes, and he claimed it was because of the final day loss in Uyo.
Niger Tornadoes midfielder Papa Daniel came into the squad based on the recommendation of three NPFL coaches according to Eguavoen and added that he and Chelle watched him play and were convinced.
“When I spoke to the Remo Stars and Rangers coach, fortunately they were my assistants, they also mentioned Papa Daniel, a couple of them as well, but I didn't see Papa Daniel play, but I believed the recommendation and I was thinking after that game I would bring in Papa Daniel,” he told Home Turf.
“What I saw in Remo I was convinced, I was there with Chelle, so he was also convinced with the same Rangers centre-back (Ifeanyi Onyebuchi). Probably that's what informed him to make sure they are part of this team.”
Source: Getty Images
Papa will be in contention for a starting berth against Europe-based midfielders Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, Raphael Onyedika, Joe Aribo and US-based Alhassan Yusuf.
The midfielder expressed his delight after making the final list with a message on his official X account.
“Honored to receive a @NGSuperEagles invitation to represent this beautiful nation at the qualifiers for The Next edition of the FIFA World Cup with the senior team,” he wrote.
“Thankful to my teammates and coaches and grateful for the good messages I'm still getting. God Bless Nigeria 💚”
Osimhen discloses Chelle's warning
Legit.ng reported that Victor Osimhen revealed Chelle's warning to Super Eagles stars after announcing his final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Osimhen disclosed that the manager issued a stern warning to the players as they face two must-win games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe later this month.
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Source: Legit.ng
