Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has issued a stern warning to his players against underestimating any opponent as Nigeria prepares for their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
- +AFCON qualifiers: Chelle warns Eagles against complacency
Nigeria were drawn into Group L alongside Tanzania, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, with the group stage fixtures running across three FIFA international windows in September and November 2026, and March 2027.
Nigeria were drawn into Group L alongside Tanzania, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, with the group stage fixtures running across three FIFA international windows in September and November 2026, and March 2027.
Chelle, reflecting on the lapses that derailed Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, told his players that the era of minnows in African football is over.
“Tanzania have already qualified for the AFCON, so this is a group of three. If you play a draw, you can have some problems,” the Franco-Malian tactician told journalist Austin Okon-Akpan.
“Tanzania may give us problems, just as they did against Morocco, so this is not a small team. Madagascar, we know them as a good team because they beat Nigeria in 2019. With Guinea-Bissau, you cannot say there is a small team in Africa now. So you have to be focused on every game and every team. You have to do the job; this is not easy,” the former RC Lens defender added.
Chelle also challenged the Nigeria Premier Football League players in camp to quickly grasp his tactical blueprint if they hoped to earn permanent places in his squad, while singling out Ikorodu City midfielder Tosin Oyedokun for special praise.
“Some of them are good with the ball, like Tosin, who plays for Ikorodu City,” Chelle said. “But the most important thing is that they try to understand what we want for this team.”
The coach acknowledged that adapting to international standards within only two training sessions places enormous pressure on home-based players, but urged them to channel that into aggression and motivation on the pitch.
“You are playing for Nigeria, and the only pressure you can have is to give everything on the pitch,” he said.
Camp preparations have gathered pace following the arrivals of Francis Uzoho, Chibuike Nwaiwu and Rafiu Durosinmi, bringing the squad to 17 players. Nigeria begin their Unity Cup title defence against Zimbabwe on Tuesday (today) before June friendlies against Portugal and Poland.
