Ikorodu United forward, Shola Adelani, has vowed that he and his fellow home-based Super Eagles teammates are fully committed to clinching the 2024 African Nations Championship title, as the tournament kicks off across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Nigeria has been drawn in Group D, where they will face defending champions Senegal, as well as Congo and Sudan.
Coach Eric Chelle’s side begins their CHAN journey against Senegal on August 5, before taking on Sudan on August 12 and wrapping up the group stage with a clash against Congo on August 19.
Ahead of the tournament, Adelani shared insights into the team’s mindset and the expectations set by Coach Chelle.
“It’s a dream come true playing for Nigeria national team and to the coach, like he always say if you are not a warrior you can’t play football so you must be like a lion to play under him,” he told the team’s media.
“I like the coach because he told me that when I have the ball I should go one on one even if you lose the ball it’s not a problem, just go one on one.
“I know the boys are ready because they’ve passed through series of training and even when we make mistakes the coach always make us know that mistake is part of football and one just have to improve more and I know if the competition start we will give our all to win the CHAN.”
Remo Stars defender Adedayo Olamilekan also expressed his joy at making the final squad, especially after past setbacks at the youth national levels.
“At U-17 and U-23 I was dropped but I’m here now and the coach said he has the believe in me that I can do it and in terms of the style of play it was part of the reason he included me in the final list.
“I was so happy because it’s my performance that brought me to the CHAN and for the coach, honestly I’ve never met this type of coach in my life, he’s someone who wants intensity, aggression, never-say-die, he just wants you to give it all.
“We always hold meeting concerning the CHAN, the group and our aim is to go there and give our all, we don’t want second or third, we want the gold, that is our target and we will surely achieve it.”
The home-based Super Eagles have wrapped up their final training session ahead of a second preparatory friendly against Zanzibar, set for Thursday evening.
Their first meeting ended in a goalless draw on Monday.
About CHAN
The African Nations Championship, introduced by CAF in 2009, is exclusive to players who compete in their domestic leagues.
Initially featuring eight teams, the competition expanded to 16 before the 2022 edition saw 18 teams compete. Since 2014, CHAN results have contributed to the FIFA World Rankings, signaling the competition’s growing significance.
Nigeria’s CHAN Journey So Far
Nigeria made its CHAN debut in 2014 under the late Stephen Keshi. The team reached the semi-finals, narrowly losing to Ghana on penalties, before securing third place with a 1-0 victory over Zimbabwe.
Their best performance came in 2018 when the Super Eagles reached the final in Morocco, only to suffer a 4-0 defeat to the hosts.
Now, with fresh determination and a new generation of talent, the home-based Eagles aim to go one step further and claim the elusive CHAN trophy.