Eric Chelle has revealed the extraordinary squad crisis that forced him to make a late call for FC Rostov midfielder Ibraheem Mahfus Ajasa ahead of Nigeria’s friendly against Russia in Nizhny Novgorod, Footynaija reports.
The Super Eagles arrived in Russia with their original 24-man squad badly depleted by injuries, club restrictions and travel problems, leaving Chelle with a remarkably small group to work with before Tuesday’s meeting at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.
The NFF confirmed that Wilfred Ndidi, Raphael Onyedika, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola and Victory Akpe were among those unavailable, while Moses Usor was also blocked by LASK and Suleiman Mubarak could not secure the necessary residence permit.
Related Post
Chelle explained that the situation became so severe that Nigeria had only 14 players available as preparations intensified.
“When we were getting ready to come here, we realized we only had 14 players. It’s difficult to bring players from abroad to Russia,” Chelle told Championat.
“So we started looking for those who were already playing in Russia. That’s why we brought in Ajasa from Rostov. He has dribbling skills and is capable of finding unconventional and creative solutions on the field. We’ll see if he gets time tomorrow.”
Ajasa’s late invitation was therefore less a long-planned promotion than an emergency response to an increasingly surreal situation. The 24-year-old Rostov midfielder was chosen because he was already operating inside Russia, removing the logistical obstacle Chelle faced with players based elsewhere.
The NFF later reported that Ajasa’s arrival helped lift the number of available Super Eagles players to 19 ahead of the friendly.
The chaos comes after Nigeria’s separate AFCON 2027 qualifying squad and a 3-0 defeat by Guinea-Bissau, leaving Chelle with a depleted side for a Russia team that thrashed Namibia 6-0 on Saturday.
