Tijani Babangida Warns Eric Chelle of Osimhen Mistake That Cost Super Eagles World Cup Spot
- Super Eagles legend Tijani Babangida has issued a strong warning to Eric Chelle ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
- Babangida warned Chelle over the dependency on Victor Osimhen, which cost Nigeria the 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket
- The Super Eagles performed woefully in matches Osimhen missed and lost to DR Congo after he was off with an injury
Super Eagles legend Tijani Babangida has issued a stern warning to head coach Eric Chelle ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Nigeria is widely considered as one of the favourites to win the tournament after finishing as runners-up in the 2024 edition in Côte d'Ivoire.
Source: Getty Images
Chelle will lead a country at AFCON for the consecutive edition, having led his country, Mali, to the quarter-final of the 2023 edition, losing to Cote d'Ivoire.
The Franco-Malian is expected to announce his final 28-man squad on Thursday, December 11, 2025, which is the deadline set by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
As noted by the NFF, Nigeria is drawn in Group C alongside North African Tunisia and East African neighbours Uganda and Tanzania.
The Super Eagles begin their AFCON campaign against the Taifa Stars on December 23, and the second group game against the Carthage Eagles on December 27 and the final group game against the Cranes on December 30.
Tijani Babangida warns Eric Chelle
Former Super Eagles winger Tijani Babangida has warned Eric Chelle not to depend on Victor Osimhen heading into AFCON and should build a squad with depth.
Babangida noted that overdependence on the Galatasaray striker cost Nigeria the World Cup ticket after the forward got injured against DR Congo.
“It is dangerous that it appears that the Super Eagles is built around Victor Osimhen. It was when he was removed at the beginning of the second half against Congo that the team started to struggle. That is very bad,” he told Tribal Football.
The former AFC Ajax man claimed that what made the Super Eagles successful during his time was that the team was not built on one man.
He added that it is a problem Chelle must fix by instilling the mentality that it is not a one-man team among the players, and they must all perform when given the chance.
The 1994 AFCON winner admitted that the team is better with a fully fit Osimhen, but the team must learn to win without him, and the morale of the team must be high regardless.
He noted that the team was in a mess for most of the games Osimhen missed during the World Cup qualifier, a problem that must not happen at AFCON.
Source: Getty Images
“Super Eagles should not be in a mess if Osimhen is injured. Chelle must address this issue because injury is part of the game. Osimhen's absence in any game should not be the end of the world for Super Eagles,” he concluded.
The Super Eagles camp will open on December 15 after FIFA's regulation affected preparations, and the team will have a preparation match against Egypt in Cairo on December 16.
Claude Le Roy slams Super Eagles attack
Legit.ng reported that French coach Claude Le Roy claimed that the Super Eagles' attack is overrated despite having Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman.
The 77-year-old claimed that their tally of 20 goals in 12 matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier was not enough and is worrisome ahead of AFCON.
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Source: Legit.ng
