Nigeria’s failure at the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Zanzibar cannot be brushed aside as mere misfortune.
Instead, it reflects poor planning, questionable squad selection, and tactical indecision from the Super Eagles B coaching crew led by Eric Sekou Chelle.
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Despite boasting some of the brightest young talents in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), the team crashed out of the tournament in the group stage undone by errors that were avoidable with the right approach.
Selection Missteps and Costly Gamble
From the opening match, the cracks were visible. Chelle’s persistence with error-prone defender Ngenge, who was directly at fault for three goals conceded against Senegal and Sudan, exposed a reluctance to act decisively.
It took until the final group match for Junior Nduka and Stephen Manyo to form a partnership that delivered Nigeria’s first clean sheet. By then, it was too late.
In goal, Mustapha Lawal’s shaky performances were costly, shipping five goals in two games.
Only after Nigeria had been eliminated did Chelle turn to 15-year-old prodigy Harcourt Ebenezer, who immediately repaid the faith with composure, command, and a first clean sheet.
The decisions begged the question: why were Nigeria’s most promising options left on the bench until the damage was irreparable?
Wrong Tactics, Wrong Timing
Beyond personnel, the tactical setup was flat and predictable. The Eagles often looked disjointed, lacking fluidity in midfield and width in attack.
For two matches, the team struggled to create meaningful chances, with players deployed in roles that didn’t maximize their strengths.
Ironically, when Alex Young Oyowah and Anas Yusuf were finally trusted with starting berths, both delivered.
Oyowah, on debut, bossed the midfield, claimed the Man of the Match award, and showed leadership beyond his years.
The Nigeria Premier Football League current highest goal scorer winner Yusuf Anas scored Nigeria’s first and goal of the tournament, after Nigeria has been eliminated.
it’s a proof that talent was available, but poorly utilized, wasted away on the bench while underperforming attackers kept getting the coach’s nod.
If there is any consolation, it is the emergence of Oyowah, Yusuf, and Ebenezer as new faces who gave Nigerians a glimpse of the future.
Alex Oyowah: His debut against Congo was a statement of intent — energetic, disciplined, and decisive. He turned Nigeria’s exit into his personal arrival.
Anas Yusuf: With over 100 NPFL appearances at just 21, his goal confirmed his growing reputation as one of the domestic league’s brightest attackers.
Ebenezer Harcourt: At 15, his maturity in goal was astonishing, organizing the defence and instilling confidence his seniors failed to provide.
These three showed what could have been if selections and tactics had been right from the start.
The failure at CHAN 2024 ultimately rests with the technical crew. Football is a results business, and coaches are judged on their decisions.
Chelle and his staff had the players to at least make the quarterfinals, but poor judgment, late adjustments, and questionable loyalty to underperforming players undermined the campaign.
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) must now ask tough questions: Is Chelle the right man to lead Nigeria’s second-string team, or did CHAN 2024 expose him as tactically inflexible and unable to maximize Nigeria’s abundant local talent?
CHAN 2024 could have been a platform for Nigeria to assert its dominance in African football and showcase the strength of the NPFL.
Instead, it became a lesson in wasted potential, with individual brilliance overshadowed by collective failure.
The silver lining is clear: Oyowah, Yusuf, and Ebenezer represent the future. But for Nigeria to translate talent into trophies, the leadership on the bench must match the quality on the pitch.
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