Nigeria’s Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle explains why two players were left out of the squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Tanzania. Daily Post Nigeria reports Chelle says George Ilenikhena was absent because of an injury, despite a strong start to his international career earlier in the year.
On goalkeeper selections, multiple outlets report Chelle also addresses why Maduka Okoye is excluded. Vanguard (Nigeria) and Daily Post Nigeria both frame the story around Chelle’s explanation for leaving Okoye out, describing it as his decision and responding to questions about the omission. Legit.ng similarly highlights Chelle’s rationale for selecting other goalkeepers—Stanley Nwabali, Arthur Okonkwo and Francis Uzoho—over Okoye, citing circumstances “on and off the pitch.”
Across coverage, the consistent theme is Chelle’s public clarification ahead of the Tanzania matches, with outlets differing mainly in which omission they foreground (Ilenikhena vs Okoye) and how much detail they provide about the competing goalkeeper choices.
