• Chelle begins consultations
• Dikko, Gusau inspect proposed NFF hotel, training pitch site
Less than two months to Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifying games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, the Super Eagles’ camp has been boosted by news that Udinese goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, has returned from injury.
Okoye has been sidelined for over a month after undergoing surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist. But Italian publication, TuttoUdinese, reported that he has now resumed training with his club, just when Coach Eric Chelle is preparing his list of players for the must-win qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe in March.
Okoye is expected to make the list of players for the matches pending FIFA’s decision on the alleged suspicious betting patterns related to a yellow card he received during Udinese’ 2-1 defeat of Lazio last year.
According to reports, if found guilty, Okoye could face a lengthy ban from all football-related activities, as Italian regulations impose severe penalties for athletes directly involved in manipulating match events.
In that case, the former Fortuna Dusseldorf star will be ineligible to play for the Eagles in the two games.
The Guardian learnt that the Super Eagles management has started final preparations, including consultations with players, following FIFA’s official announcement of the dates for the matches against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
According to FIFA, Rwanda will host Nigeria on March 21 at the Amahoro Stadium, Kigali, while the Super Eagles will entertain Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, on March 25.
A Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) source said that Coach Chelle and the federation’s technical committee are working towards presenting a formidable squad for the matches, which Nigeria must win to retain any hope of qualifying for the World Cup to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The official, who pleaded anonymity, said that Chelle is currently meeting with Europe-based players to ascertain their state of fitness and also ensure they understand the importance in taking the games serious.
Nigeria is currently placed fifth in Group C of the World Cup qualifying series with three points, while leaders, Rwanda, South Africa and Benin Republic are on seven points each.
Meanwhile, NFF President, Ibrahim Gusau, yesterday, conducted chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, round the proposed site for the NFF hotel and new training pitch, which is adjacent the NFF Headquarters inside the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
The NFF said that the project is designed to establish a state-of-the-art accommodation facility intended specifically for the national football teams.
The vision behind the proposed hotel, the federation said, is to free the NFF of the humongous expenses incurred regularly in accommodating the different national teams.
During the site inspection, Dikko and Gusau evaluated multiple aspects of the location under consideration. Key factors included the ease of accessibility for both players and support staff, the level of security provided by the surrounding area, and the proximity of the site to essential training facilities.
