Maduka Okoye Explains Why He Opted Out of Super Eagles’ AFCON 2025 Squad
- Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has explained why he opted out of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations squad
- Okoye was expected to be named in the squad after returning to action from his betting-related suspension
- The German-born goalkeeper withdrew from the squad despite uncertainty over Stanley Nwabali’s fitness
Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has opened up on why he opted to be left out of the Super Eagles squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Eric Chelle named his squad for the tournament before the December 5 deadline and to the surprise of Nigerian fans Okoye was not named in the squad.
Source: Getty Images
The goalkeeper’s exclusion was surprising because he had returned to action for Udinese after his two-month suspension for betting-related offence in Italy.
Fans were surprised because of the uncertainty surrounding first-choice goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali’s fitness as he was dealing with a hand and ankle injury.
Read also
Victor Osimhen: Turkish pundit defender Galatasaray star’s trip to Nigeria after his injury
Nwabali shook off the injury and kept four clean sheets in six matches to help Nigeria finish third, and was the hero in the third-place playoff match against Egypt.
Why Okoye opted out of AFCON squad
There were reports that it was Okoye's decision not to be named on the squad and months after the tournament has disclosed why he took the decision.
The Udinese goalkeeper, speaking on Kicker Meets DAZN Podcast disclosed that he opted to stay back in Udine to work on his form after two months out.
“Since I was not Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper, I believed it was better to remain at Udinese, work on my form, and also show appreciation to the club for standing by me during a difficult period.”
Source: Getty Images
Nigerians dismissed the reason as an excuse since it was reported in December and maintained the same stance that the reason for his decision isn't valid, while others back him.
@saint_mikel10 wrote:
“Excuse not acceptable, No be NT tell am say make him go do wrong at his club side, come dey find wetin to compensate them . NT call up are usually sacred and should always be honored. I was not the first choice... gibberish.”
@IamTopys4real wrote:
“For me I 100% support Okoye decision to reciprocate back that support given to him at Udinese. Club football over national team👌.”
Okoye returns to Super Eagles squad
Maduka Okoye’s last appearance for the Super Eagles of Nigeria was a 1-1 draw against Russia during the June 2025 international friendly match.
He missed the subsequent windows due to his ongoing case with an alleged betting scandal, which he was finally banned for two months in September.
As noted by NFF, Eric Chelle named him in the squad for the March 2026 international friendly matches against Iran and Jordan in Antalya, Turkey.
Chelle started Okoye in goal for the match against Iran, ahead of Francis Uzoho, underlining the faith that the manager has in the German-born star.
Sunday Oliseh defends Maduka Okoye
Legit.ng previously reported that Sunday Oliseh defended Maduka Okoye’s decision to opt out of Super Eagles’ squad for AFCON 2025 in Morocco.
The Nigerian football legend claimed that goalkeepers are aware if they would not play and if so, Okoye should focus on getting back his spot at his club.
Source: Legit.ng
