Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Sekou Chelle made public the list of 23 players who were picked from his preliminary list of 39 players for the world cup qualifiers games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe respectively.
Chelle picked three goalkeepers, six defenders, six midfielders and 8 forwards in his final list of players. He was bold enough to make some decisions top of which is the decision not to name the captain of the team Ahmed Musa in his final list after listing the Kano Pillars captain in his preliminary squad.
However a look at the list showed that at least five players shouldn’t have been in the list ahead of some players, who have done enough at club level to be given a chance with the team for both games.
His decision to pick Remo Stars second choice goalkeeper Kayode Bankole ahead of Adebayo Adeleye of Cyprus side Paralimni is a shocker. Bankole is second choice to the third choice goalkeeper of Benin Republic Serge Obasa.
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Assuming the decision to leave Udinese shot stopper Maduka Okoye is based on the fact that he only recently returned from a wrist injury. What then can one say is the rationale behind leaving out Adeleye who has been voted the player of the month in Cyprus side more than five man of the match awards.
Another head scratcher is the omission of Frank Onyeka who is on loan to Bundesliga side Augsburg from Brentford. Alhassan Yusuf of MLS side New England Revolution was picked in his place despite the fact that the new MLS season is just three weeks old.
Cyriel Dessers who has 19 goals this season was left out with the duo of Sadiq Umar and Tolu Arokodare preferred ahead of him. One would have expect the coach to pick one of the duo preferably Sadiq alongside Dessers as a reward for his performance this season.
Although it’s hard to argue against the decision to pick Igho Ogbu due to the fact that he has been consistent for the past two years for Czech Republic side Slavia Praha, one can however debate the exclusion of Gabriel Osho of Ligue 1 side in favour of his selection.
Osho played in the last two games of the team in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, and hasn’t missed a game in the Ligue 1 aside when he had a knock or suspended.
Papa Daniel of Niger Tornadoes is another controversial inclusion picked ahead of Uche Chrisantus of LaLiga side Getafe. Although it can be said that he was picked as a replacement for the injured Fisayo Dele-Bashiru of Lazio.
Papa however hasn’t played a minute of competitive football in five weeks in the Nigeria Premier Football League as he has been away in Europe, where he is searching for a club to join. So on what grounds was he picked?
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
