“Some players aren’t meant to be there” – Ex-Super Eagles captain questions Eric Chelle’s AFCON squad selection

Former captain of the Super Eagles of Nigeria Mikel Obi has questioned the inclusion of some players in Eric Chelle's 28-man squad for the AFCON 2025 tournament, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Franco-Malian gaffer initially released a 54-man preliminary list, before cutting it down to the final players, which raised several questions as debut call-ups were given to players like Tochukwu Nnadi, Salim Fago and Ebenezer Akinsanmiro.

Francis Uzoho was recalled to the squad after over a year out of the National team, while regular names like Tolu Arokodare, Maduka Okoye, Victor Boniface and Ola Aina were excluded.

Mikel Obi questions Chelle's Super Eagles selection

The Super Eagles have been drawn into AFCON Group C alongside Tunisia, Tanzania and Uganda. While many have tipped the three-time African Champions to easily scale through the group, Mikel is unsure, given the players at Chelle's disposal.

“We should come out of the group. That's always the question, isn't it?

“I saw the squad, and not to be disrespectful to anyone, I have no idea who some of the players are.

“That just tells you where we are. As a nation, our football, I don't think the right players have been selected, from what I hear.

“I don't think the manager has the full authority to select who he wants; there's a lot of influence on his selection,” the AFCON 2013 winner said on the Obi One podcast.

“I remember the late Stephen Keshi when he wanted to make his World Cup selection, he called me to say that he wanted to list his players, but some people were telling him to pick certain players.

“He told me he wanted to pick the players that could help Nigeria do well at the World Cup and was just calling me to tell me what he was going through.

“He told me if he didn't pick certain players for the tournament, he would be fired. I can never forget that day.

“He called me to be with him because he knew I was an influential person beyond the Football Federation,” the ex-Chelsea midfielder continued.

The former Super Eagles captain ultimately tipped Morocco to lift the title on home soil, given their rise across all tiers of football in recent years.