Ola Aina: How Premier League Club Forced Eric Chelle to Drop Defender From AFCON 2025 Squad
- Ola Aina will not be part of Eric Chelle's Super Eagles squad for the upcoming 2025 AFCON tournament in Morocco
- The defender had been included in the provisional list, with the manager hopeful of his recovery ahead of the competition
- It was gathered that English Premier League club Nottingham Forest ensured that the football star continued with his recovery
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The Super Eagles of Nigeria head to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations without Ola Aina, as the defender was left out of Eric Chelle's final 28-man team.
The Nigeria Football Federation, on Thursday, December 11, unveiled the players that will represent the country at the continental showpiece in Morocco.
Ola Aina was missing from the team list, in what many have described as the biggest selection blow to the Super Eagles’ preparations for Morocco.
Source: Getty Images
Nigeria are drawn in Group C, where they trade tackles with Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda in the preliminary rounds.
They will hope to win the title to appease Nigerian fans after failing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Recall that the three-time African champions came close to winning the last edition of the AFCON, but lost 2-1 to host nation Ivory Coast in the final.
They were just 45 minutes away from claiming the coveted prize after William Troost-Ekong's header had put them ahead in the first half.
However, the Elephants came roaring in the second half with Franck Kessie restoring parity before Sebastien Haller flicked home the winner in the closing minutes, per Soccernet.
Nigeria will go one step further in Morocco, but they will prosecute the tournament without key squad member Ola Aina.
The defender, who recently underwent hamstring surgery, had been included in the original 54-man provisional list, with the manager hopeful the additional weeks would prove enough for a late return.
It was gathered that Aina was desperate to make it to the AFCON, having played a crucial role in the qualifiers.
Nottingham Forest block Ola Aina from AFCON
Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle remained in touch with the defender and hoped that he would be released by English club Nottingham Forest.
However, manager Sean Dyche maintained that the star was not ready to venture into such a high-profile competition as the AFCON.
Dyche said via the Guardian:
"It's just that he's not fit. He hasn't been fit, he's still not fit. He hasn't played any football yet. So, that's all we can offer to that situation, that he's still not fit. We've made that very clear (to Nigeria)."
To make things worse, fellow defender Benjamin Fredrick sustained a knee injury that has ruled him out of the competition, while skipper William Troost-Ekong has announced his retirement from international football.
As a result, Chelle had to make bold selection decisions, handing a first-ever call-up to Blackburn Rovers’ Ryan Alebiosu.
Source: Getty Images
The 23-year-old joins four other new faces in the national team, including Usman Muhammed, Salim Fago Lawal, Tochukwu Nnadi, and Ebenezer Akinsanmiro.
Why Maduka Okoye was dropped
Legit.ng earlier reported that the omission of Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye from the final 28-man squad has caused a stir on social media, with Nigerians calling for the heads of Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
According to ScoreNigeria, the former Watford goalkeeper pleaded with the NFF to exclude him so he could focus on his club duties.
Source: Legit.ng
