Maduka Okoye: ‘I made my choice,’ says Chelle on Uyo omission

Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has stood by his decision to leave Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye out of Nigeria's squad for the AFCON 2027 qualifying double-header against Tanzania, saying the call was based on what happened on the pitch and around it, and that the door has not shut on the 27-year-old.

Chelle went with Francis Uzoho, Stanley Nwabali and Arthur Okonkwo as his three goalkeepers for the games in Uyo and Zanzibar, leaving out the goalkeeper who played for Nigeria in the June friendlies against Poland and Portugal.

Okoye's club season has been a hard one. He has conceded 25 goals and kept one clean sheet in 11 Serie A appearances for Udinese, and a teammate has already come out to defend him in public after the defeat at Venezia.

Chelle: the national team is not closed to him

Asked about the omission at his pre-match press conference, Chelle made clear that Okoye has not been discarded, in comments reported by Pulse Nigeria.

“Maduka Okoye is in the national team. I made the choice like the other players. The national team is not closed to him or them. I made my choice.”

The Super Eagles coach then explained what went into it.

“When I made my choice, it was based on what happened on the pitch and around it,” he added. “I have a tactical approach, and I tried to make the best decision.”

Analysis: a door left open, with conditions attached

Chelle chose his words with care. “Is in the national team” is not the language of a coach closing a chapter; it tells Okoye he is still part of the pool and can play his way back.

The second half of the answer matters just as much. By pointing to the pitch and “around it”, Chelle signalled that form is not the only thing he weighs, without saying anything more. Okoye's route back looks simple on paper: fewer goals conceded at Udinese, and nothing off the pitch that gives his coach a second thought.

Competition is real. Nwabali has been pressing for the No. 1 shirt since his clean sheet sharpened the debate, and Uzoho and Okonkwo both bring their own claims. A goalkeeper who is out of a squad is out of sight, and every clean sheet one of the three keeps in this window makes Okoye's return harder.

Chelle has said plainly that he is still watching. Okoye's next chance to answer comes when Serie A resumes after the international break, while the three goalkeepers Chelle did pick go to Zanzibar on Tuesday for the return leg.