Aiyegbeni Slams Obasogie’s “Pointless” Super Eagles Call-Up

Former Nigeria international Yakubu Aiyegbeni has publicly challenged Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle on his selection policy, taking specific issue with the repeated but unused call-ups of Tanzania-based goalkeeper Amas Obasogie.

The criticism emerged during a candid discussion on the popular Home Turf podcast, where Aiyegbeni scrutinised the logic behind inviting a player who seems far down the pecking order and has yet to earn a single minute of playing time.

The focal point of Aiyegbeni’s critique is Amas Obasogie, the 22-year-old goalkeeper for Singida SC in the Tanzanian Premier League. Despite being called up by Coach Chelle on different occasions for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Obasogie has remained on the bench, never making his senior debut for the national team.

Aiyegbeni, a former Everton and Portsmouth striker with a prolific goalscoring record for Nigeria, argued that the tradition of including home-based players should be more meaningful. He suggested that Obasogie’s inclusion appears to be a superficial gesture rather than a genuine opportunity for development.

“We all know that historically, the coaches put in one or two home-based players,” Aiyegbeni stated. “But you [Coach Chelle] brought in a goalkeeper from Tanzania, Amas Obasogie. We have keepers here [in the Nigerian league]. My question is, did you actually watch him play in goal before calling him up?”

Expressing his skepticism, Aiyegbeni implied that the selection was not based on firsthand scouting. “He has not watched him,” Aiyegbeni asserted. “So, if the plan is to give a local player experience, why not bring one of the goalkeepers performing here in Nigeria? That would at least give a domestic-based talent that exposure and boost the local league.”

This critique highlights a growing concern among some Nigerian football pundits and fans regarding the selection criteria for the national team. With established goalkeepers like Francis Uzoho and Maduka Okoye typically occupying the top spots, the role of the third-choice goalkeeper is often seen as a developmental position.

Aiyegbeni’s comments frame Obasogie’s continued presence in the squad as a missed opportunity. By selecting a player based in another African league who is not actively competing for a starting role, the coaching staff is, in his view, neglecting a chance to nurture a goalkeeper from the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL), thereby failing to strengthen the connection between the domestic league and the national team.