Legendary Nigerian football player Jay-Jay Okocha called the way Maduka Okoye was treated following his error at the most recent Africa Cup of Nations “strange.”
Read Als: AFCON 2023: Super Eagles squad welcomes back Moffi with delight
The Tunisian victory in Cameroon, which eliminated the Super Eagles from the tournament in 2021, was Okoye’s fault.
Since then, the 24-year-old has not received a call-up to the national squad.
This implies that Okoye won’t be present at the AFCON, which begins on Saturday.
For the last 1.5 years, Jose Peseiro has made Frank Uzoho his top pick.
Stanley Nwabili of Chippa United in the South African Premier Soccer League and Olorunleke Ojo of Enyimba in the Ivory Coast will join Uzoho.
Okocha, though, has taken issue with Okoye’s exclusion.
“Okoye is the only goalie on the national team with the kind of training and football background we require. However, he is left out. It’s peculiar,” Okocha said to Osasu Obayiuwana of the BBC.
“The way the national team handled him [after the Round of 16 match against Tunisia] speaks volumes about the calibre of player management.”
