Austin Eguavoen sends message to Nigerians Super Eagles 23-man squad for Rwanda and Zimbabwe
The Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Austin Eguavoen, and former Super Eagles striker Victor Ikpeba have rejected claims that head coach Eric Chelle was not fully in charge of selecting the squad for Nigeria’s upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
Chelle, who was appointed as the new Super Eagles coach in January, announced his 23-man squad for the matches on Tuesday. Some of his selections, as well as the players left out, caused debates among fans and pundits.
However, Eguavoen clarified that Chelle had full control over the squad selection and there was no interference from the NFF’s technical committee. Eguavoen explained that the national team coach has the final say on who is picked for the team.
“I want Nigerians to understand something clearly,” Eguavoen said. “I have been technical director for several years, and I’ve attended FIFA workshops where it was made clear that the senior national team coach has the final say on squad selection. We can discuss, but we cannot interfere. If he says no, it’s no. That’s why a coach can be fired anytime. Eric Chelle took his time to prepare this list and has the final say.”
Ikpeba, who is part of the NFF’s technical committee, supported Eguavoen’s statement. He explained that Chelle had been watching a large pool of 45 to 50 Nigerian players abroad before making his final decision.
“This young man (Chelle) has been closely monitoring about 45 to 50 players, so it’s his choice,” Ikpeba said. “He knows who his 23, 24, or 25 players are. There was no interference.”
Despite these reassurances, some of Chelle’s selections have caused controversy
Chelle’s choice of goalkeepers has also raised questions. Remo Stars’ Kayode Bankole was picked ahead of Adebayo Adeleye, who plays regularly for Paralimni in Cyprus. Bankole is not even the first-choice goalkeeper at his club, which has confused fans.
Another surprise omission is Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka, who has been consistent at Augsburg in the Bundesliga. Instead, Chelle chose Alhassan Yusuf from New England Revolution, even though the MLS season only started three weeks ago.
With just three points from their first four matches, Nigeria’s World Cup hopes are at risk. They currently sit fifth in their qualifying group, four points behind leaders Rwanda. Their next two matches, against Rwanda on March 21 in Kigali and Zimbabwe on March 25 in Uyo, are crucial. If they don’t win both games, their chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada could be in serious danger.
