Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has sent a message to the Nigeria Premier Football League stars ahead of the 2026 Unity Cup clash against Zimbabwe. Chelle, as earlier promised, invited NPFL stars into the Super Eagles squad for the Unity Cup in London alongside mostly foreign-born players.
NPFL Players in the Squad
As noted by the Nigeria Football Federation, the invited NPFL players include Michael Atata, Aderemi Adeoye, Tosin Oyedokun (Ikorodu United), Obinna Igboke, Chibueze Oputa (Enugu Rangers), Ayobami Junior, Al Ameen Tijani (Shooting Stars), and Elias Ochobi (Rivers United). Camp opened on May 22, and most invited players, including captain Wilfred Ndidi, whose season with Besiktas finished early, arrived in camp.
First Training Session
Chelle had his first training session with the available players and will have one more session before the match against Zimbabwe on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. The manager addressed the NPFL players after the session, admitting that his initial assessment of the players is good, particularly Ikorodu United star Tosin Oyedokun, but he needs them all to understand what he wants from them.
“Some of them are good with the ball, like Tosin, who plays for Ikorodu City, but the most important thing is that they try to understand what we want for this team,” Chelle told Proudly Austin.
Advice to Players
The Franco-Malian manager acknowledged that the players will rightly be under pressure, but he advised them to be free and not be scared of anything. “It is difficult for these players because they have to show something after two training sessions. Maybe they can have a lot of pressure,” he added. “I want them to come with motivation. You are playing for Nigeria, and the only pressure you can have is to give everything on the pitch. After that, you will make a lot of mistakes, but this is not the end, because if there are no mistakes, there are no goals in football. Don’t be scared of anything; be ready to go to war.”
Opportunity for NPFL Stars
Chelle reiterated that the matches are for them to have a chance to show their strengths and weaknesses in the national team, which could translate to call-ups to the main team. Last year’s Unity Cup gave Nigerians Benjamin Fredrick, who became an integral part of the team during World Cup qualifiers, but unfortunately missed AFCON 2025 due to injury.
Looking Ahead
Legit.ng previously reported that Eric Chelle reacted to Nigeria’s Group L opponents for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers after the draw in Cairo. Chelle explained the peculiarity of each group member – Tanzania, Madagascar, and Guinea-Bissau – and warned that his players must be fully focused.
