Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye is not on head coach Eric Chelle’s list for Nigeria’s two matches against Tanzania in CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying, according to GhanaMMA/PUNCH Sports Extra, which cites the keeper’s repeated lateness.
Nigeria will play two CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying matches without Maduka Okoye. According to GhanaMMA/PUNCH Sports Extra, Chelle did not select the Udinese goalkeeper for the two games against Tanzania. The Nigerian outlet links the absence to repeated lateness by the player, citing in particular his arrival in Uyo on the morning of the opening match against Madagascar in September, when he was the last to join the camp.
Chelle selected Stanley Nwabali, Francis Uzoho and Arthur Okonkwo as his goalkeepers. The decision concerns only these two matches: the source reports no exclusion beyond that, and nothing in the case allows the claim that Okoye has been permanently dropped from the Super Eagles.
An arrival on the morning of the match
The incident in question, reported by GhanaMMA/PUNCH Sports Extra, dates back to the September camp. Okoye turned up in Uyo on the very morning of the match against Madagascar, the last player to join the squad. It is this precedent that the outlet highlights to explain his absence from the current list.
The case contains no statement from Chelle on his decision. The call-ups of Nwabali, Uzoho and Okonkwo are the only official information available: three goalkeepers selected, Okoye absent from the list.
Ikpeba invokes punctuality
Former international Victor Ikpeba reacted by stressing discipline and punctuality. “Competitions bring the best from players. Discipline is very key. A player that comes a day before the match, people are still asking why he is not invited. I was there before, in the 90s, nobody comes a day to the match, you stay at home,” he said, according to GhanaMMA/PUNCH Sports Extra. It is an opinion, not a rule laid down by the federation.
Sports journalist Olawale Adigun, of the Social Plus Podcast, for his part backed Chelle’s decision: “Nothing is assured with the national team. It was important for Eric Chelle to make a statement, and that was not calling him up, which I am supportive of. In Nwabali, we have a goalkeeper who has shown over the years that he could do the job.”
Adigun also acknowledges the profile of the Udinese goalkeeper: “Okoye, for me, is Nigeria’s best goalkeeper in terms of profile. He plays for a team in Serie A, starts regularly and produces man-of-the-match performances. That is bigger and better, but he needs to show that he wants to play for the national team.” A personal assessment, again.
A Group L under pressure
Nigeria host Tanzania in Uyo before travelling to Zanzibar four days later. The Super Eagles sit second in Group L with three points from two matches, after a 2-1 win over Madagascar in Uyo and a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau. With Tanzania already qualified as co-hosts, only one additional qualifying place remains up for grabs in the pool, which puts the Super Eagles under pressure.
The two matches are scheduled for Friday 13 November 2026 in Uyo and Tuesday 17 November 2026 in Zanzibar.