Sports

Salisu Yusuf Invites 30 Players For Mexico, Ecuador Friendlies

In the absence of a substantive head coach for the Nigerian national team, Super Eagles Assistant Coach, Salisu Yusuf has released a list of 30 players for the international friendly matches against Mexico and Ecuador in the USA reports Prime Business Africa.

Nigeria will face World Cup bound Mexico at the AT & T Stadium in Dallas on Saturday, 28 May, before flying to New Jersey to face Ecuador at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison on Thursday, 2 June.

Yusuf, who is also Head Coach of the CHAN and the U23 teams, has included eight home–based (NPFL) players, including goalkeepers Adewale Adeyinka and Ojo Olorunleke, midfielders Chiamaka Madu and Babatunde Afeez Nosir, forwards Victor Mbaoma and Ishaq Rafiu.

Only 25 players will make the final list for the tour, which will also serve as part of preparations for next month’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches.

The Super Eagles will play against Sierra Leone in Abuja on 9 June and São Tomé & Príncipe in Marrakech, Morocco on 13 June.

FULL LIST:

GOALKEEPERS: Maduka Okoye (Sparta Rotterdam, The Netherlands); Adewale Adeyinka (Akwa United); Ojo Olorunleke (Enyimba FC).

DEFENDERS: Olaoluwa Aina (Torino FC, Italy); Abdullahi Shehu (AC Omonia, Cyprus); Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal); William Ekong (Watford FC, England); Leon Balogun (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Isa Ali (Remo Stars); Chidozie Awaziem (Alanyaspor FC, Turkey); Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England); Calvin Bassey (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Ibrahim Buhari (Plateau United).

MIDFIELDERS: Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Alex Iwobi (Everton FC, England); Oghenekaro Etebo (Watford FC, England); Chiamaka Madu (Rivers United); Babatunde Afeez Nosiru (Kwara United); Azubuike Okechukwu (Yeni Malatyaspor, Turkey); Samson Tijani (Red Bull Salzburg, Austria); Alhassan Yusuf (Royal Antwerp FC, Belgium).

FORWARDS: Ahmed Musa (Fatih Karagumruk, Turkey); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain); Ademola Lookman (Leicester City, England); Sadiq Umar (UD Almeria, Spain); Emmanuel Dennis (Watford FC, England); Cyriel Dessers (Feyenoord FC, The Netherlands); Victor Mbaoma (Enyimba FC); Ishaq Rafiu (Rivers United).

Izuchukwu Okosi

Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc. In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio. He worked there for 13 years until October 2017. Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch. He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations. Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line. Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.