Former Super Eagles midfielder Duke Udi has blasted the Nigeria Football Federation and head coach Eric Sekou Chelle over the release of a 54-man provisional squad barely three weeks before the start of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco (21 Dec 2025 – 18 Jan 2026).
Udi, known for his straightforward analysis, said the decision reflects poor planning and a lack of clarity within the national team’s technical setup.
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“I don’t understand the logic. Three weeks to AFCON and you’re dropping a 54-man list? It makes no sense,” he stated.
He described the situation as “typically Nigerian,” arguing that such last-minute and disorganised actions are exactly why the national team frequently struggles in major tournaments.
“It’s a Nigerian thing — doing the opposite of what should be done. And it’s shameful,” Udi said bluntly.
The former midfielder questioned whether Chelle truly has a clear idea of what his final squad should look like, suggesting that releasing such a large pool of players at this stage reflects confusion rather than planning.
“This looks like Chelle doesn’t know what he’s doing. By now, your squad should be 90% ready. You cannot still be screening 54 players,” he added.
Udi argued that the massive list only adds unnecessary pressure and uncertainty for the players, who should ideally be preparing mentally and tactically for Morocco rather than wondering if they will survive a last-minute cut.
“How do you build chemistry with 54 players? How do you prepare properly? It’s chaos,” he said.
He also warned that this disorganised approach could hurt Nigeria’s AFCON chances again, especially given the team’s recent failures in back-to-back World Cup qualification campaigns.
“We’ve been repeating the same mistakes for years. Late decisions, poor planning — and then we expect miracles,” he noted.
Despite his criticism, Udi urged Nigerians to continue supporting the team, emphasizing that the players must not bear the brunt of administrative shortcomings.
“The boys will give their best. But the people in charge must do better. AFCON is too big for guesswork,” he concluded.
