With Pay Dispute Resolved, Super Eagles Focused on Win against Gabon Today

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

After the distractions of boycotting Tuesday’s training session, Super Eagles trained on Wednesday evening while shifting focus to today’s 2026 FIFA World Cup Africa playoff semi-final clash with the Panthers of Gabon in Rabat, Morocco.

Captain of the Super Eagles, William Troost-Ekong, confirmed yesterday afternoon that the pay dispute has been resolved and that focus was now firmly on getting the job done against Gabon this evening.

Ekong confirmed in a short post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account: “Issues RESOLVED. We are together and, as before, focused on the games ahead!” observed the Al Kholood central defender in the Saudi Arabia Pro League.

The statement from the Super Eagles supremo effectively put to rest any doubt that the team may avoid filing out against  Gabon this evening (at 5pm) because of the pay dispute that has stretched well over two years.

Yesterday evening, all 24 players in camp trained at the Institut Royal de Formation Des Cadres in Salé, outside Rabat under the watch of Coach Eric Chelle and his backroom staff.

Today’s high-stakes encounter at the Complexe Sportif Prince Heritier Moulay Al Hassan in Rabat, provides another opportunity to both  coaches Eric Chelle (Nigeria) and Thierry Mouyouma (Gabon) to qualify their teams for the World Cup after missing the directed qualification ticket during the qualifiers. The winner of the clash will be up against the winner of the second semis between Cameroon and DR Congo on Sunday.

It will be the 10th confrontation between the senior men national teams of Nigeria and Gabon, with Super Eagles having won five of the previous nine matches, and three drawn. Gabon won only one – a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Libreville that ended 2-1.

 Expectedly, focus will be on the two top gladiators on both sides: forwards Victor Osimhen (Nigeria) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. These two players are, perhaps, the deadliest strikers in world football today. Aubameyang netted all four of Gabon’s goals in an away game against Gambia in the qualifying series while Osimhen scored two away to Rwanda and three at home against Bénin Republic to lead their teams’ pursuit of a FIFA World Cup ticket.

Chelle, unbeaten in four competitive matches with Nigeria in the qualifying campaign (three wins and a draw), will most likely stick with goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, and in the absence of injured Olaoluwa Aina (injury) and Semi Ajayi (suspension), probably calibrate a rearguard of Benjamin Fredericks, captain William Ekong, Calvin Bassey and Zaidu Sanusi, with Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi and Frank Onyeka in midfield.

2023 Africa Player of the Year Osimhen is likely to have Samuel Chukwueze and Moses Simon  as partners up front.

The rampant Osimhen, with 29 goals in 44 matches for the Nigeria senior team, has netted 160 goals and 36 assists in 275 club career matches, and is presently one of the most feared forwards in world football.   

Gabon on the other hand emerged the best second runners-up in all the nine qualification groups, and hinge their hopes of an upset on 36-year- old forward Aubameyang who has turned out for English Premiership side Arsenal and German Bundesliga top team Borussia Dortmund, and is now with former European champions Olympique Marseille in France.

Coach Mouyouma is certainly going to stick to his regular army , which puts Loyce Mbaba in goal, with youngster Jacques Ekomie alongside Bruno Manga, Mick Omfia and Anthony  Oyono at the rear. Guelor Kanga, Mario Lemina and Didier Ndong are the engine room in the midfield of the Panthers. Aubamenyang, Denis Bounanga and Noah Lemina  complete the dangerous forward line that Nigeria’s rear guard must watch out for this evening.

TODAY

(Playoffs)

Nigeria v Gabon (5pm)

Cameroon v DR Congo (8pm)

NPFL

Remo Stars v Rangers (4pm)