Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro has submitted his 40-man provisional list to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) ahead of next year’s Africa Cup of Nations with Gent forward Gift Orban one of the biggest omissions.
Orban’s omission may be related to the fact that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are unwilling to gamble with his controversial international status.
The forward, who also qualifies to play for Togo, was born and raised in the West African country, although the Gent forward claims his father hails from Benue State
The 21-year-old did not make his long-awaited Super Eagles debut against Sao Tome & Principe in Uyo earlier this year after he reportedly suffered an injury.
According to the list, only three Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) players were called up. Bendel Insurance goalkeeper Amas Obasogie, as well as his counterparts from Sporting Lagos and Enyimba, Christain Nwoke, Ojo Olorunleke, respectively being called up.
Recent absentees from the Super Eagles – Ahmed Musa, William Troost-Ekong, Zaidu Sanusi, and Paul Onuachu – have all been named to the preliminary list, which will be reduced to 27 players on January 3, 2024.
In a departure from the norm, CAF has increased the size of the final squads from 23 players to 27 for the 2023 AFCON. The registration of the four more players on the final list is merely an option, not a requirement.
However during the competition, only 23 players will be eligible to be selected for each match.
Furthermore, a player included in the final squad may only be substituted in the event of a major injury, and only if the CAF Medical Committee has approved the medical certificate and at least 24 hours have passed before the team’s first game.
Nigeria’s quest for a fourth AFCON victory and the first in 10 years, the Eagles will look to navigate a tricky Group A.
The three-time African champions find themselves in the same group as the host country, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau, who faced Nigeria during the qualifiers.
Nigeria, bidding for a fourth AFCON title, will face Equatorial Guinea in their first group match of the 2023 edition on January 14, 2024, before further matches against Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea in Group A.