No interference in Eagles squad – Eguavoen
Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation, Austin Eguavoen, has said that the new head coach of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle, had the final say on the final squad for this month’s crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying matches, without interference from the technical committee, NewsNGR Sports Extra reports.
Nigeria will face Rwanda in Kigali on Friday, March 21 before returning to the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo to face Zimbabwe on Tuesday, March 25, in a bid to revive their World Cup qualification bid.
After dropping a 39-man provisional list for his first set of assignments for Nigeria last week, the Franco-Malian coach named his final squad on Tuesday ahead of the team’s camping which begins in Kigali, Rwanda on Sunday.
The provisional list had five goalkeepers, 10 defenders, 10 midfielders and 14 names in attack, with seven of the players being potential debutants.
Before the pruning, which reduced the players to 23 and retained only four potential debutants, Eguavoen, who doubled as the interim coach of the team before Chelle’s appointment stated that the coach had the final squad in his chest.
“I want Nigerians to get clarity on something, I’ve been technical director for a few years and I have attended FIFA workshops where I ask questions a lot and they made it clear to me that a senior national team coach anywhere in the world has a final say on who he wants on his list,” Eguavoen said while featuring on SuperSport’s Monday Night Football.
“We can interact, we cannot interfere. If he says no, it’s no. That is why they can fire a senior national team coach at any time. So I will say Eric Chelle took his time to prepare this list and he has the final say.”
Another member of the technical committee and ex-international, Victor Ikpeba, who is a regular guest on the show, also echoed Eguavoen’s thoughts.
“This young man (Chelle) has a pool of about 45 to 50 Nigerian layers abroad. So, it’s his discretion and he has been monitoring these players in the provisional list. He knows his 23, 24 or 25 players, it’s his choice to make. So, there was no interference,” Ikpeba said.
Nigeria risk missing out on the 2026 World Cup, set to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, following a disappointing start to their qualifying campaign.
After four matches, the three-time African champions sit in fifth place with just three points, four points behind leaders Rwanda, with six games left to play in the qualifying series.
March’s fixtures against the Amavubi in Kigali and Zimbabwe are crucial for Nigeria’s chances of securing a ticket to the global football showpiece, as victories in those games are expected to reignite their qualification hopes.
