Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has defended goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, NEWSUNPLUG reports.
Nwabali had come under widespread criticism following his recent erratic performance for the Super Eagles.
The Chippa United shot stopper put up a poor display in Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matchday nine encounter against Lesotho.
The 29-year-old has also had bust-ups with his teammates due to his errors.
Despite calls for Nwabali to be dropped, Chelle jumped to his defence.
“Nobody knows what I ask of my players. Sometimes they make mistakes, which is normal. Maybe I told Nwabali to be strong. I don’t want a nice guy in my team,” Chelle said in an exclusive interview with Super Eagles legend, Segun Odegbami on Eagle FM.
“I played with a goalkeeper during my active days, a Serbian goalkeeper. This guy was crazy on the pitch, because he was crazy, we the defenders were also crazy too.
“I want a player with top character. I know that sometimes he needs to relax, the reality is that Stanley gives everything on the pitch for the team, and the country.”