‘The players are not bad’ - Eguavoen defends NPFL players, advises Chelle to do better

Nigeria ended the 2025 AFCON competition with a bronze medal finish after a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over Egypt in the third-place playoff.

The Super Eagles earned praise from fans as the tournament's most entertaining and highest-scoring team. 

However, despite the positives, Eguavoen believes the squad would have benefited from the inclusion of domestic talent.

It has been suggested that Chelle's confidence in local players may have been shaken by the home-based Eagles' underwhelming performance at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in August. 

However, Eguavoen cautioned against judging the entire league based on that tournament's outcome.

In an interview with Footy Africa, Eguavoen said, "The players are not bad, and just because we didn’t do well at CHAN doesn’t mean we should throw the baby out with the bathwater," the 1994 AFCON winner insisted. 

"This is something we need to look into because it speaks volumes when players come directly from the local league into a major tournament like AFCON."

Eguavoen clarified that while the NFF can offer guidance, the final decision on player selection rests with the head coach. 

"We can only advise him; we cannot force players on him," Eguavoen explained. "I must also say that he has a lot of respect for the players and wants to see how he can gradually bring them through. We have discussed this a few times, but the timing has to be right."

"If he stays in the country more often, he will have better opportunities to visit venues and watch players. If he doesn’t, it becomes more difficult," he added.