Former Super Eagles captain and coach, Sunday Oliseh, has issued a robust call to current Franco-Malian manager Eric Chelle, urging him to adopt a firm and "stubborn" philosophy as he prepares the Nigerian national team for the AFCON 2025 tournament. Oliseh, a pivotal figure in Nigeria's 1994 AFCON triumph and the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, expressed optimism about the Super Eagles' potential at the upcoming competition, despite widespread pessimism.

During his "Sunday Oliseh's Global Football Insight Show," the 51-year-old emphasized the critical need for Chelle to stand his ground against external influences regarding player selection. "He has to grow stubborn because it is no secret that people from outside will try to influence who plays and who doesn't," Oliseh stated. He further stressed that Chelle must be firm, show personality, and take sole responsibility for forming the team and deciding playing personnel.

Oliseh also highlighted the importance of effective leadership within the squad, suggesting a leadership model based on respect rather than fear or mere likeability, pointing to Wilfred Ndidi as a player who commands such respect and could serve as captain.

Tactically, Oliseh advised Chelle to ensure clear and more compact gameplay. Reflecting on past performances, he criticized the team’s "loose" and "open" approach against DR Congo, where they were "run rings all around." He asserted that while former coach Peseiro favoured a very defensive approach, there is nothing wrong with playing a more compact game.

Additionally, Oliseh placed a significant share of responsibility on the players, especially the captain and team leaders. He referenced the "Oliseh-Keshi leadership" model, where captains took initiative to ensure early camp arrivals and preparations without solely waiting for the NFF. "To win a tournament is different from qualifiers. You have about two weeks to train, so it's more practical to be tactically astute, but that depends on everyone being in camp because it's a process," he explained, also noting the irreplaceable role of Victor Osimhen as Nigeria's best player.

Nigeria finds itself in AFCON 2025 Group C, alongside Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda, with their opening match against Tanzania scheduled for December 23rd at the Complexe Sportif de Fès in Fez, Morocco.

However, Chelle’s preparations face a significant setback due to a recent change in FIFA's player release regulations for AFCON 2025. With the tournament kicking off in approximately 18 days, concerns have mounted over the release of European-based players, who form the core of most top African national teams. While FIFA traditionally allows players to join national teams up to two weeks before a tournament, a new directive now allows clubs to retain selected players until December 15th. This means players will join their national squads barely six days before the competition begins, a critical period for tactical integration and team cohesion.

The impact of this revised release date is expected to hit the Super Eagles particularly hard, given that a substantial number of their players, including at least nine in the Premier League, ply their trade across Europe. Fulham, for instance, has three Super Eagles regulars – Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, and Calvin Bassey – all deemed crucial by their club. Fulham coach Marco Silva explicitly confirmed that Samuel Chukwueze would remain with the club for an additional "15 days" following a recent match. This confirmation, coupled with FIFA's new ruling, implies that Coach Chelle will have a severely limited window to work with his full squad before the tournament begins.

Despite a 55-man provisional list already released, which awaits trimming to 28, it is evident that many key players will not be available in camp until after December 15th, presenting a formidable challenge to Nigeria's AFCON 2025 aspirations.