BEVERLY HILLS, March 09, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s senior men’s national football team coach Gernot Rohr has picked his 24-man squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers and the squad sheet has been released by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Some of the high-profile inclusions that made the team are the England based sixsome: Fulham’s Ola Aina, the duo of Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho, Everton’s Alex Iwobi, West Brom’s Semi Ajayi and Watford’s William Troost-Ekong.
This is immediately brow-raising as the availability of players from the English Premier League for international duty remains a toss-up, given the fears of the coronavirus concerns of the clubs and stringent quarantine and travel restrictions of the United Kingdom’s health and safety protocols, as reported by THEWILL.
This exact same issue forced South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) to suspend the holding of the qualifiers during this international window after a decision to work hand-in-hand with world football governing body, FIFA, to reschedule all affected matches to a more convenient time for the clubs and countries involved.
Besides the regular names, there was a maiden call-up for in-form striker Sadiq Umar who plays for Almeria in the Spanish second-tier.
Shockingly though, while a clubless team captain Ahmed Musa got into the main list, the Belgian league top scorer and Nigeria’s most in-form striker Paul Onuachu, with no less than 25 goals to his name this season, is on the standby list alongside experienced goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi.
Musa, who left his Saudi Arabia club in October by mutual consent, has been inactive since after attempting but failing to squeeze his way into the EPL during the January transfer window. When his rumoured move to Sam Allardyce’s relegation-battling West Bromwich Albion did not materialise, his individual ability to make the team vanished.
That was the fact based on the insistence of coach Rohr that only players actively competing in the top flight would be involved in his squad selection for the qualifiers this month against Benin and Lesotho. The question that will be asked about this volte face is what changed to cause Rohr to include Musa? Especially after his own words excluded the pacy forward, who still remains clubless?
Apart from dumping a striker of Onuachu’s pedigree on the standby list, where other countries will be more than grateful to give him a priority slot, there is also the case of Terem Moffi on standby as well while a rusty Musa gets preferential treatment.
Six goals in 12 League matches has seen Moffi hit the ground running since his big money move to Lorient from Belgian side KV Kortrijk in the summer transfer window. His performances marked him out as one of the most in-form players in a French league bustling with talented players in big sides.
The Nigerian striker staked his claim for direct inclusion when, against French champions Paris Saint-Germain, he came on as a 61st minute substitute and proved hero for his Ligue 1 side by netting an injury-time winner to deal the Paris giants a 3-2 defeat. Yet, he is on standby?
In an attempt to satisfy critics who question his neglect of some local talent while choosing players for international fixtures, Rohr included Enyimba goalkeeper John Noble as the lone selection from the domestic league. How no other player merited an invitation, is a question only Rohr can provide answers to if anyone powerful enough will ask him.
There are questioning decisions in the team selection but in more satisfying picks, midfielder Joe Aribo and defender Leon Balogun, who are part of the Rangers side that successfully won the Scottish Premier League, were included in the main list.
Nigeria will seek to seal automatic qualification with the trip to Benin on March 27 in the first of the two qualifiers. With eight points at the top of Group L, a win there will ensure that the Super Eagles do not have to worry about how the final match day will play out when they host the Southern African nation of Lesotho in the commercial capital city of Lagos on March 30.
The full squad sheet:
Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (APOEL Nicosia, Cyprus); John Noble (Enyimba FC); Maduka Okoye (Sparta Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Defenders: Kenneth Omeruo (CD Leganes, Spain); Leon Balogun (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Chidozie Awaziem (Boavista, Portugal); William Troost-Ekong (Watford, England); Olaoluwa Aina (Fulham FC, England); Jamilu Collins (SC Paderborn, Germany); Zaidu Sanusi (Porto, Portugal); Tyronne Ebuehi (Twente, The Netherlands)
Midfielders: Oghenekaro Etebo (Galatasaray, Turkey); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Abdullahi Shehu (Omonia Nicosia, Cyprus); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England)
Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Unattached); Alex Iwobi (Everton, England); Sadiq Umar (Almeria, Spain); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal, Spain); Victor Osimhen (Napoli, Italy); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Samuel Kalu (Girondins Bordeaux, France); Moses Simon (Nantes, France)
Standby: Daniel Akpeyi (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa); Henry Onyekuru (Galatasaray, Turkey); Peter Olayinka (Slavia Praha, Czech Republic); Terem Moffi (Lorient, France); Paul Onuachu (KRC Genk, Belgium); Michael Olise (Reading, England); Adekunle Adeleke (Abia Warriors)
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
