Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation, Austin Eguavoen, has stated 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. Eguavoen emphasized that there was no interference from the technical committee in Chelle’s selection process.
Nigeria will face Rwanda in Kigali on March 21 and Zimbabwe in Uyo on March 25, in a bid to revive their World Cup qualification bid. Chelle had named a 39-man provisional list before pruning it down to 23 players, retaining only four potential debutants.
Eguavoen, who doubled as the interim coach of the team before Chelle’s appointment, explained that the coach has the final say on his squad selection. “I want Nigerians to get clarity on something… a senior national team coach anywhere in the world has a final say on who he wants on his list,” Eguavoen said 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.”
Victor Ikpeba, a member of the technical committee and ex-international, echoed Eguavoen’s thoughts. “This young man (Chelle) has a pool of about 45 to 50 Nigerian players 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.”
Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup hang in the balance, with the team sitting in fifth place with just three points from four matches. Victories in the upcoming games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe are crucial for Nigeria’s chances of securing a ticket to the global football showpiece.