LA 2028 Countdown :  Chelle to draft  U23 stars for Russia friendly

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle is set to use Nigeria’s proposed friendly against Russia on October 6 to begin building a new U23 side for the country’s bid to qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Chelle, who is also overseeing the U23 national team, is expected to hand opportunities to several young overseas-based players as he begins the process of identifying a strong pool for the Olympic qualifying campaign.

It was gathered  that at least 10 U23-eligible players have been earmarked for the Russia friendly, including Wilfred George of Kristiansund BK, Ridwan Popoola of Kisvárda, Stephen Michael Fumen of Vendsyssel FF, Sani Suleiman of Al Qadsiah and Peter Edokpolor of Benfica.

Others reportedly being considered are Victory Akpe of FC Basel, Fulham youngster Chibuzo Nwoko, Abdullahi Umar of Hradec Králové, Brighton’s Zadok Yohanna and Derby County midfielder David Ozoh.

The exercise is expected to be different from the squad Chelle will use for Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying assignments, allowing the technical crew to concentrate on younger players against Russia.

The friendly is particularly important because Nigeria have endured a prolonged absence from the men’s Olympic football tournament. The country last appeared at Rio 2016, where the Dream Team won bronze, after previously claiming gold at Atlanta 1996 and silver at Beijing 2008.

Nigeria subsequently failed to qualify for Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, making the Los Angeles 2028 campaign another opportunity to restore the country’s proud Olympic football tradition.

Chelle is also expected to look beyond foreign-based players. Outstanding U23-eligible performers in the Nigeria Premier Football League could be monitored and brought into the programme as preparations progress.

The idea is to create a wider pool combining promising foreign-based youngsters with the best young players from the domestic league rather than waiting until the qualifying competition begins before assembling a team.