Maduka Okoye exile fears are growing after Eric Chelle left the Udinese goalkeeper out of Nigeria’s 24-man Super Eagles squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Tanzania — and the reason, according to fresh reporting, is a pattern of late arrivals to camp that has finally exhausted the coach’s patience.
The September incident that sealed it
Okoye was in the squad for September’s qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, but he reported to camp in Uyo on the morning of the Madagascar match — the last player to arrive. The delay followed Udinese’s third-kit presentation at Milan Fashion Week, and photos of the goalkeeper at a nightclub with American rapper Cardi B the day before the match drew heavy criticism from Nigerian fans.
Chelle later said he had granted Okoye permission to attend the club engagement, but made clear he was unhappy with the lateness. OwnGoal Nigeria reported that the goalkeeper was given an extra day off yet spent two days extra away from camp, while Pulse Nigeria linked the omission directly to the episode. The NFF has not confirmed any link between the Cardi B outing and the decision.
Ikpeba and pundits back Chelle’s call
Former Super Eagles midfielder Victor Ikpeba, speaking on SuperSport’s Monday Night Football, said discipline is non-negotiable at international level. “Discipline is very key,” Ikpeba said, adding that in his own playing days in the 1990s, nobody arrived a day before a match and expected to play.
Broadcaster Olawale Adigun backed Chelle on the Social Plus Podcast, insisting that “nothing is assured with the national team” and that leaving Okoye out was a statement the coach needed to make. Adigun added that Okoye remains, in his view, Nigeria’s best goalkeeper on profile — a Serie A regular who produces man-of-the-match performances — “but he needs to show that he wants to play for the national team.”
Journalist Samuel Areo was blunter, saying Okoye “basically blew the chance in the last window” and that Chelle “was visibly not pleased” with what happened in September.
A pattern, not a one-off
The September incident was not the first time Okoye’s timekeeping has been questioned. In June 2024 he was among the last players to join the squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic, and his availability and commitment also came under scrutiny during preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
He was omitted from Nigeria’s squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations itself, but fought his way back with impressive performances in the June 2025 friendlies against Poland and Portugal while Stanley Nwabali was unavailable. Since his debut against Brazil in October 2019, Okoye has won 21 caps, although his international career has included a lengthy absence between 2022 and June 2024.
Maduka Okoye exile: what happens next
For now, Chelle has moved on. Nwabali, Francis Uzoho and Arthur Okonkwo are the three goalkeepers in Uyo, with 17 players training on Tuesday evening ahead of Friday’s first leg against Tanzania at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium. The return leg is in Zanzibar on Tuesday 17 November.
Okoye, meanwhile, returns to a Udinese side bottom of Serie A — where former goalkeeper Daniele Padelli has already defended him against the club’s own scapegoat hunt. Whether the door to the national team reopens may depend on Okoye showing, in Adigun’s words, that he wants to play for the national team. For more on the qualifiers, check today’s predictions.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC0) — collage by SportsBuddy
