Okoye gets Eagles recall after six months out

Maduka Okoye has been recalled to the Super Eagles for the first time in six months, as Nigeria prepares for back-to-back fixtures at the Unity Cup in London and a landmark friendly against Russia in Moscow, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The 25-year-old goalkeeper’s return follows a period of absence marred by injury and off-field controversy. Okoye had last featured in Nigeria’s 2–1 defeat to Rwanda in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in November and was dropped from the March World Cup qualifiers amid questions over his fitness and form.

Sidelined by a wrist injury between December 2024 and March 2025, Okoye missed 14 matches for Italian club Udinese.

He also faced scrutiny over alleged betting irregularities during the same period, following suspicious activity flagged by Italian agency Sisal, in relation to a yellow card he received for time-wasting.

Italian media linked the incident to a local pizzeria owner in Udine, alleging an informal betting arrangement had been struck days before the match.

Despite being temporarily removed from Udinese’s registered 25-man squad, Okoye returned to action in March and has since featured in 10 matches, re-establishing himself between the sticks. He has played 25 games this season, kept five clean sheets and conceded 37 goals.

Eagles head coach Eric Chelle named the shot-stopper in a 25-man squad for the Unity Cup tournament, where Nigeria will face Ghana, Jamaica, or Trinidad and Tobago.

The goalkeeping department features Okoye alongside Stanley Nwabali and Amas Obasogie, signalling renewed competition between the sticks.

Speaking on the squad selection, Chelle noted, “We’re looking forward to taking part in the Unity Cup as it will give us the chance to try out a few new players in different roles, helping us to strengthen our squad before the matches in September and October.”

As such, the squad features a blend of experienced internationals and standout performers from the Nigeria Premier Football League. Among them is Junior Nduka, captain of league champions Remo Stars and the CHAN-bound Eagles B team.

He will compete for a defensive role alongside Semi Ajayi, Igoh Ogbu, Bruno Onyemaechi, Ifeanyi Onyebuchi, Sodiq Ismaila and Waliu Ojetoye.

In midfield, familiar names Wilfred Ndidi and Frank Onyeka are joined by Chrisantus Uche, Saviour Isaac, Papa Daniel Mustapha and Collins Ugwueze.

The forward line includes captain Ahmed Musa, Kelechi Iheanacho, Nathan Tella, Cyriel Dessers, Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, Tolu Arokodare and NPFL stars Sikiru Alimi and Adamu Abubakar.

Notably absent from both the Unity Cup and Russia squad lists is Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen, who has netted a career-high 36 goals this season and powered his club to a league and cup double in Turkey.

The Unity Cup will be hosted at the 17,250-capacity Gtech Community Stadium, home of Premier League side Brentford and will kick off on Tuesday, May 27.

Trinidad and Tobago will face Jamaica in the opening semi-final, followed by Nigeria’s showdown with long-standing rivals Ghana on Wednesday, May 28.

The tournament will conclude on Saturday, May 31 with a third-place play-off and final to determine the 2025 Unity Cup champions.

For the friendly against Russia on Friday, June 6 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Chelle has selected a 21-man squad, making strategic changes to test different combinations ahead of Nigeria’s World Cup qualifiers.

Key additions include captain William Troost-Ekong, Ola Aina, and Bright Osayi-Samuel in defence, with Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Raphael Onyedika boosting midfield options.

The frontline for the Russia game is equally formidable, with the return of Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface and Valencia’s Sadiq Umar. They will line up alongside Simon, Tella, Chukwueze, and Iheanacho.

The fixture against Russia will mark the first-ever senior meeting between the two nations and offers Nigeria a prestigious platform to measure their strength ahead of the next qualification window. Russia’s last game at the Luzhniki was a 2022 World Cup qualifier against Croatia in September 2021.