Seven players named in Nigeria's provisional squad ruled out of African Nations Championship

Nigeria’s Super Eagles B team has suffered a major setback in the build-up to the African Nations Championship (CHAN) as seven players from the provisional squad have been ruled out of the tournament.

Organised biennially by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), CHAN is unique in that it features only players active in their country’s domestic leagues. 

The recent developments have therefore disrupted Nigeria’s preparations at a crucial stage.

Five players have been declared ineligible after completing transfers abroad, making them unavailable under CHAN’s strict eligibility criteria. 

Those affected include Abubakar Sadiq, who previously featured for Plateau United; Philip Adejo, formerly of Abia Warriors; Saviour Isaac of Rangers; Papa Daniels Mustapha from Niger Tornadoes; and Waliu Ojetoye of Ikorodu City.

The confirmation came through an official statement from the team’s management, which emphasised that the players’ moves to foreign clubs automatically disqualified them from participating.

Beyond eligibility concerns, the squad has also been weakened by other issues. 

Rangers defender Ifeanyi Onyebuchi has been ruled out due to injury and will not report to camp, while goalkeeper Ifeanyi Harcourt of Sporting Lagos remains unavailable as he is engaged with Nigeria’s U-20 national team. 

The dual blow of injury and national youth team commitments further limits the options available to the coaching staff.

The absence of these seven players has created significant challenges for the Super Eagles B technical team, led by Head Coach Eric Chelle. 

As of now, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has not disclosed whether additional call-ups will be made to replace the unavailable players.

Nigeria, who won silver in 2018, remain determined to go one step further by contending for the title this time.

The final squad announcement is anticipated soon as preparations intensify for the continental competition.

Wale Adejumo

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