Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle says his team is firmly focused on the clash with Bafana Bafana of South Africa, reports Completesports.com.
Nigeria will look to secure their third win in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying series when they face Bafana Bafana in a matchday eight encounter at in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.
Focused And Ready
“I’m focused on my players, and my team. I know South Africa is a good team. They have a lot of good players, and also good coach, and technical staff,” Chelle told a press conference at the Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein on Tuesday.
“We know this is a big game. I’m really happy to play this game like my players. They are happy. This is a moment to do a great job.”
Chelle On Mokoena’s Saga
The build up to the game, and Bafana’s previous encounter against the Crocodiles of Lesotho have been mired in controversy surrounding the Teboho Mokoena’s case, a matter that many in and around Nigeria feel FIFA has not adequately resolved.
Mokoena was ineligible to play when Lesotho met South Africa at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in March.
Chelle maintained that his priority remains the job on the pitch, but he urged FIFA to “manage the issue very quickly”.
Read Also:2026 WCQ: Bafana Bafana Under Pressure To Beat Us — Troost-Ekong
“I’m just the coach, I lead my team, what happens around my team and around this game in terms of the yellow card [on Mokoena], there’s an organisation whose name is FIFA, they need to manage it,” added Chelle.
“Now, this is not my problem. My problem is my players first because they are focused. They want to play a great game here and I feel like, we have to think about our game, not about what happens around the game and around the story.
“But the reality if I can tell you, I think FIFA needs to manage it quickly.”
Osimhen’s Absence
The Super Eagles will be without Victor Osimhen in the game.
The Galatasaray striker sustained an injury in Nigeria’s 1-0 win over Rwanda last Saturday.
“Osimhen is a big star, a very good player. Like I said, I have a strong squad too, with great players in my head, on my side. They are more than players for me, for sure ,” Chelle declared.
“I can tell you something, they want to play a great game here once again.”
By Adeboye Amosu
14 Comments
We should play an all attacking game….attack attack attack…..let’s take this game to them please………So coach please play two strikers dessers and arokodare.. just like the last game let arokodare have that more central striking role while dessers hovers around…..
I agree but when last did we play swashbuckling football? It’s not time to experiment but if we are 2 goals up by halftime, then why not attack more?
The team has to be cautious too. South Africa are dangerous on counter attacking. Ndidi and Onyeka have to work harder. NFF must be punished for putting us in this mess. All of them have to be sacked if Nigeria doesn’t qualify.
Jackson the biggest risk in life is never taking a risk….we still need to take the risk….
Na NFF caused the last minute error against Zimbabwe by Ekong? Abi na NFF enter pitch play?
Omo sly it’s been a long time o… I am telling you. These set of SE can’t even give you that style of football no more..
Omo I miss the 90’s..the days of their rashidi yakini and Daniel omokachi as our two point strikers then. Very sharp..at the wings you have the great finidi George (right) and Emanuel amunike (left)….come see attack na…it was fire….they were so brave…these guy will not wait for you then they will come to you/for you…lol….
But now everything don dabaru. These guys can’t express themselves no more..they are scared.. even their counter is slow and boring…now instead somebody to pass to him next man him go wan give a long pass that he is not sure the ball will get to him.. there by Lossing possession..small thing Dem don gass out..their frequent fall on the pitch is so annoying..any small thing Dem don fall for pitch dey raise hand for ref to blow
THERE IS NO CAUSE FOR ALARM FOR OSIMHEN INJURY. QUICK RECOVERY TO HIM.
WE HAVE A BETTER, QUALITY & WELL COMPOSE STRIKER IN CYRIEL DESSERS AND ALSO A GREAT HUSTLER & BALL-FIGHTER IN AROKODARE.
** THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT ERIC CHELLE SHOULD USE TWO STRIKERS UPFRONT & TWO WINGERS AT FLANKS.
ERIC CHELLE SHOULD NOT USING LOOKMAN IN OUT OF POSITION AGAIN.
THE BEST POSITION WHERE LOOKMAN CAN BE OPERATING EFFECTIVELY IS 11-POSITION (Left winger).
My best line up against S/African
1. NWABALI
2. AINA.
3. FELIX AGU —-AWAZIEM
4. ONYEDIKA —–ONYEKA
5. EKONG
6. BASSSEY
7. CHUKWUEZE —–D.BASIRU
8. AROKODARE
9. DESSERS
10. UCHE-CHRISANTUS –—IWOBI
11. LOOKMAN —–M SIMON
Is a big pity that we akkow caf to conspire against us in this wc qualifiers by aceptin a group wit 4 teams from same region . Wen they play themselves they do it easy but wen they play nig they spill blood. If nig qualify out of this group then god made it posible.chech other groupings and very my claim . This is the main reason eagles are struggling. REfree issue also is disturbing. All our games so far we have been rob of many goals . See ghana games and other games then u will understand that refrees in this qualifiers have been mandated to stop eagles by all means posible. I really pity this set of eagles.
Oga, Morocco won home and away in these qualifiers
Tunisia have not conceded a goal too in their group.
Egypt is on course as well.
We last won a home qualifiers until Saturday in 2021 (4 years).
Why we no use home advantage?
Why did we not score more goals than could have been cancelled by “conspiring referees” as you claim?
The truth is our players take games for granted because there is really no competition for their slots for many years until Chelle showed up.
A coach who told NFF they can sack him but must pay his full entitlements will not take s***ty players for world cup qualifiers.
For the first time in a while, no outfield home based player made the current squad.
NFF respected themselves.
If we had not gambled on home games earlier, we won’t have been dependent on FIFA or “4 finals”.
World cup final dream is suddenly on the line for most of our players, even the football age ones will still be caught up with oblivion too if they mess up today’s game.
I’d say NFF got it wrong with Paseiro, who didn’t really care and was here strictly for business. That aside, handing our goal threat to the likes of Boniface, Onuachu, and Awoniyi and goalpost to Uzioho in those early stages really did us in.
If Chelle had started the qualifiers, or even Eguavoen, we would have been in a comfortable position. Finidi, too, was not ripe for the role, yet he took it and completely worsened the situation, dropping a whopping 5 points in 2 matches. Finidi was the one who put the nail in the coffin.
BTW I saw somewhere that the pitch is very bad. They gave us a bad pitch to disrupt our game. We will play against the players, fans, refs, pitch and caf. E don be!!! I feel like the only way we’d win is if we score long range goals (which is something we’ve hardly done in a while) because if we score all those scrappy goals or tap ins, they’ll cancel it like they did when Lookman score against Rwanda. Plus, we should expect penalty if we are winning. I’d have had a little bit of hope if we had a reliable NFF that’ll protest and seek rematch in a neutral ground if anything funny happens. But our NFF is unserious.
Bad pitch koo bad pitch ni. Did you guys think SA will just open their eyes and alow this glorious opportunity to waste like that. Did you guys know when last SA qualify for world cup.
We have had our moments toiled with by se players, yeye coach and ultimately nff.
Bad pitch is just one factor. Officiating would be bad, goals cancelled and penalty likely awarded or denied. But it’s NFF that put us in this position. Since Rohr’s dismissal we’ve been confused…lol.