‘Arokodare’s availability for Super Eagles AFCON qualifiers in jeopardy’
The availability of Ajax Amsterdam striker Tolu Arokodare for the African Cup of Nations qualifiers this month is in jeopardy after his club coach revealed the player will be out of action for the unforeseeable future.
Ajax head coach Michel Sanchez has revealed that Arokodare who has bagged two goals in the Dutch league and has also scored three goals in Ajax’s Conference League qualifying campaign was left out of Ajax’s starting XI for Tuesday’s Eredivisie meeting with Willem II because he has a fever.
“Some substitutions are unavoidable,” Sánchez told ESPN on Tuesday, as reported by VoetbalNieuws.
“Tolu has been sick all week. He has a fever. We don’t know if he can play a few minutes today. We shall see. He is on the bench and really wanted to be involved.”
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The situation now puts the availability of the in-form 25-year-old player for the AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau in doubt, as he was one of the striker options considered by Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle after Victor Osimhen suffered a right adductor injury in Galatasaray’s 3-2 win over Istanbul Basaksehir on September 4.
However, in the event that Arokodare fails to recover before the AFCON qualifiers, Chelle can count on the services of Rafiu Durosinmi, Cyriel Dessers, Kelechi Iheanacho and Paul Onuachu to lead the line for the Super Eagles against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau later this month.
Reports say coach Chelle has delayed the announcement of the squad list for the AFCON qualifiers due to late injury concerns affecting key players of the Super Eagles.
Nigeria will clash with Madagascar on September 23, 2026, at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo and days later will play Guinea-Bissau away in September 27, 2026, in Morocco.
