Austin Jay-Jay Okocha has shared his views on the ongoing discussion about the Nigerian men’s national team’s goalkeeping situation.
According to the former Super Eagles captain, Udinese’s Maduka Okoye remains Nigeria’s most talented goalkeeper, despite not getting much playing time in the national squad recently.
Okoye’s last appearance for Nigeria was during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
He was in goal for all of Nigeria’s matches in the tournament but was criticized for his performance, particularly in the round of 16 defeat to Tunisia, where he was deemed at fault for the only goal Nigeria conceded.
Since that match, Okoye has faced criticism from both pundits and fans, and he has not been part of the national team setup for the 2023 AFCON.
Okocha has expressed his disappointment with the handling of Okoye’s situation by the Nigerian technical crew.
He believes that despite Okoye’s mistake against Tunisia, he remains Nigeria’s most talented goalkeeper and should have been retained in the squad.
Okocha shared his thoughts in an interview with Osasu Obayiuwana during their trip to Ivory Coast ahead of the AFCON opener on Saturday.
“The way he has been treated since #AFCON2021, after that fateful Tunisia game, leading to his exclusion from the Eagles, is a mistake.
“He is the one keeper that has the type of training and football upbringing that we need in a goalkeeper in the national team. But he is excluded. It’s strange,” Okocha said.
With Okoye out of the national team, Francis Uzoho has taken his place, but the Omonia Nicosia goalkeeper has struggled to impress, making several errors.
The future now holds the question of whether Okoye will be brought back into the squad after the conclusion of the AFCON.
Leave a Reply