Chelle included Remo Stars’ Kayode Bankole and Niger Tornadoes’ Papa Daniel to his final 23-man squad to face Rwanda and Zimbabwe
By Kehinde Okeowo
Super Eagles coach, Eric Chelle has explained why he added two local players from the Nigeria Premier Football League, (NPFL), to the 23-man squad he picked for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
He justified the decision on Monday, while speaking to reporters at the pre-match press conference of Nigeria’s clash against Zimbabwe.
Chelle included Remo Stars goalkeeper, Kayode Bankole and Niger Tornadoes midfielder, Papa Daniel in his final 23-man squad to face Rwanda and Zimbabwe respectively.
The Malian, who took over the team in January, had watched some games in the domestic league, before arriving at his decision.
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Explaining why he picked Bankole and Daniel for the World Cup qualifiers, Chelle said his decision to call the duo was because they will likely add to the team in the future.
He said, ”My job is to see all the Nigerian players in the world to analyze the player because this is the world cup qualifiers, after that there is the CHAN and also the AFCON afterwards. So we need to work together.”
Chelle added, “I think there are a lot of players who can work together and bring something to our national team. But they need to work and they need to know how I want my team to play.
“So this is why I pick two players [Daniel and Bankole from the NPFL] and I think they are good and they are very good for the future.
“But we need to work now with them. We prepare the future for now and like I said in my first press conference the time is the enemy of the coach.”
