By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria’s preparations for the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) have suffered a significant setback following the withdrawal of seven players from the squad.
The tournament, jointly hosted by Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya, will now proceed without several key names expected to feature for the home-based Super Eagles.
Five players — Abubakar Sadiq, Philip Adejo, Saviour Isaac, Papa Daniels Mustapha, and Waliu Ojetoye — were disqualified after securing moves to foreign clubs, in violation of CHAN regulations which restrict participation to players active in their country’s domestic league.
In addition, Rangers defender Ifeanyi Onyebuchi has been ruled out due to injury, while Sporting Lagos midfielder Ebenezer Harcourt is currently on duty with the national U-20 team at the WAFU B tournament in Ghana.
Despite the losses, head coach and team officials still have 28 players in camp. The squad has been reinforced with the inclusion of Anthony Ijeoma and Sunday Megwo from Abia Warriors.
Nigeria will now look to regroup and finalize preparations as they chase continental glory in the regional tournament designed exclusively for domestic league players.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
