November 16, (THEWILL) – Super Eagles’ coach, Jose Peseiro, revealed exactly why Udinese goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, pulled out of the Super Eagles squad for the November internationals and also defended his decision not to invite Hapoel Jerusalem star, Adebayo Adeleye, at the pre-match press conference on the eve of Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifying match against Lesotho.
Bendel Insurance goalkeeper, Amas Obasogie, who was not included in the original roster despite his impressive form in the domestic championship, was called in as a replacement for Okoye. The Portuguese football tactician has two other goalkeepers at his disposal for Thursday’s game against Lesotho, with Omonia Nicosia’s Francis Uzoho and Enyimba’s Olorunleke Ojo, also challenging for a starting berth.
Okoye has not featured for the national team since January 2022, against Tunisia, at the Africa Cup of Nations, though he attended the last two training camps. The German-born player was unable to travel to Nigeria for the World Cup qualifiers due to a passport issue, while Israeli-based Adeleye was not considered because he has been inactive at club level since September.
“I have confidence in our goalkeepers. Of course, in this moment Adeleye could not come because he didn’t play now in Israel. Maduka could not come because of the problem with his passport,” Peseiro said at the press conference.
Uzoho was Nigeria’s goalkeeper in qualification. However, he only did but play one match with Adeleye featuring in that tie against Sierra Leone. Peseiro added “I believe in our goalkeepers, I believe in Uzoho also.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
