The Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro, has submitted his provisional squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), as confirmed by the continental body on its website on Wednesday. The Portuguese tactician, who took over the reins of the Nigerian national team in July 2022, has included three home-based players in his 40-man list, namely Ojo Oluwasegun of Enyimba FC, Christian Nwoke of Sporting Lagos FC and Obasogie Amas of Bendel Insurance.
Peseiro will have to trim down his squad to 27 players before the January 3 deadline, in line with the new regulations by the CAF Organising Committee. However, he has the option of registering only 23 players, as was the case in previous editions of the tournament. According to the CAF website, “In case a team submits a final squad of between 24 and 27 players, only 23 of them will be available for selection for each match during the tournament. Meanwhile, a player in the final squad can only be replaced after a serious injury no less than 24 hours before the team’s first match following the approval of the medical certificate by the CAF Medical Committee.”
The Super Eagles are drawn in Group B of the AFCON 2023, alongside Egypt, Sudan and Guinea-Bissau. They will kick off their campaign against the Pharaohs on January 14 in Abidjan, one of the five host cities of the tournament. The other venues are Bouake, Korhogo, San Pedro and Yamoussoukro. Peseiro, who has previously coached Sporting Lisbon, Porto and Braga in his native Portugal, as well as clubs in Romania, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, expressed his confidence in his squad and his ambition to steer the Super Eagles to their fourth AFCON title.
“I am very happy with the squad I have selected. I believe we have a good mix of experience and youth, of foreign-based and local-based players, of talent and hard work. I have been following the performance of these players in their clubs and in the national team, and I am convinced that they can make us proud in Ivory Coast,” he said.
“We know that we are in a tough group, with Egypt being one of the favourites and Sudan and Guinea-Bissau being very competitive teams. But we are not afraid of anyone. We have a clear goal, which is to win the trophy. We have the quality, the spirit and the support of our fans to achieve it,” he added.
The full list of Nigeria’s provisional squad is as follows:
Francis Uzoho, Adebayo Adeleye, Stanley Nwabali, Temitayo Aina, Jamilu Collins, William Ekong, Ajayi Adesewo, Zaidu Sanusi, Calvin Ughelumba, Awaziem Collins, Tyronne Ebuehi, Kenneth Omeruo, Akpoguma Ufuoma, Torunarigha Jordan, Ndidi Wilfred, Ahmed Musa, Ogochukwu Onyeka, Ayodele-Aribo Oluwaseyi, Ademola Lookman, Alexander Iwobi, Oluwafisayo Dele-Bashiru, Alhassan Abdullahi, Kelechi Nwakali, Ojo Oluwasegun, Christian Nwoke, Obasogie Amas, Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, Kelechi Iheanacho, Moses Simon, Sadiq Umar, Victor Boniface, Onyemaechi Bruno, Samuel Bright, Bonaventure Dennis, Ebere Onuachu, Terem Moffi, Dessers Cyriel, Tella Temitayo, Nwadike Onyedika.
