Julius OkorieWith just four days to kick off in the next round of World Cup qualifiers, Super Eagles camp has opened in Kigali with Victor Osimhen leading the pack of early birds.
Osimhen, who only last Friday grabbed a hat-trick in Galatasaray 4-0 demolition of Antalyaspor in the Turkish Süper Lig, was seen in warm embrace with Super Eagles coach, Eric Chelle, on arrival in Kigali. Also already in camp are the trio of Bruno Onyemaechi, Papa Daniel Mustapha and Kayode Bankole who play the trades with Olympiacos, Niger Tornadoes and Remo Stars respectively.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAssistant coaches of the team, Fidelis Illechukwu of Rangers international and Remo Stars Daniel Ogunmodede have also hit camp.
The team has already settled down in their Radisson Blu Hotel and Convention Centre in Kigali.
There are strong indications that the camp will record 100% player arrivals by tomorrow to enable shape up trainings in earnest.
Among players expected to breeze into Kigali later today include South Africa based Stanley Nwabali, Joe Aribo, Raphael Onyedika and William Troost-Ekong
“The last player will come in Tuesday so that we could have at least three full training sessions, “said a team official.
Coach Eric Chelle is having his first competitive competition since taking over as Super Eagles coach on January 7 this year.
The former Mali coach has been mandated to earn a World Cup ticket for Nigeria, after the nation failed to qualify for the last edition in Qatar.
Chelle, who played as a Centre back during his playing days, had responded to those who queried his credentials and ability to lead the Eagles to world cup qualification, that “his work will speak for him”
The Super Eagles are up against hosts Rwanda Friday evening, before they take on Zimbabwe in Uyo on Tuesday, March 25.
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A victory in Kigali will be a huge plus for Chelle who is expected to lift Eagles from their lowly fifth position in Group C where Rwanda leads the pack with South Africa, Benin Republic and Lesotho all ahead of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Augustine Eguavoen, has rubbished reports that there has been interference in the squad selection process for the Super Eagles’ upcoming matches.
Coach Chelle recently trimmed down his 39-man provisional list to 23 with notable absentees including Ahmed Musa, Frank Onyeka, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Zaidu Sanusi.
But in a swift reaction, Eguavoen distanced himself from interference insinuations underscoring the importance of coaching autonomy.
Chelle according to him is solely responsible for picking his players. Recall that Chelle did not only embark on tour of Europe to visit some foreign base Eagles but also attended some league matches at home before picking his squad.
Nigeria’s last match against Rwanda in Uyo for the AFCON Qualifiers ended 2-1 in Favour of the visitors with Libya who failed to qualify for the next AFCON in Morocco, accusing the Eagles of match fixing.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
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