{"id":685,"date":"2026-05-20T12:16:57","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T09:16:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T12:16:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T09:16:57","slug":"ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/","title":{"rendered":"Ekpo backs Okoye as Super Eagles No. 1, says Nwabali must fight for spot"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Former Nigeria international Friday Ekpo believes Stanley Nwabali will have to fight hard to win back the Super Eagles\u2019 first-choice goalkeeper spot, arguing that Maduka Okoye\u2019s impressive form in Serie A is making it increasingly difficult to look past him.<\/p>\n<p>Ekpo raised particular concern about Nwabali\u2019s lack of regular match action at club level, pointing to the time away from competitive football that has followed his departure from South African outfit Chippa United earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no doubt that Nwabali is talented, but inactivity at club level is always a concern for any goalkeeper,\u201d Ekpo said. \u201cIt will not be easy for him to walk back into the team considering how well Maduka Okoye has performed this season.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Okoye, meanwhile, has been a standout performer for Udinese, delivering a series of strong displays that have helped restore confidence in his game after earlier challenging stretches in his career. With that run of form, he has reasserted himself as a leading candidate for Nigeria\u2019s starting position between the posts.<\/p>\n<h2>Implications for Nigeria\u2019s selection<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Ekpo warned that Nwabali\u2019s absence from club competition could become a decisive factor in the race for the No. 1 jersey.<\/li>\n<li>He suggested Okoye\u2019s recent output has strengthened his case and raised the difficulty of dislodging him from the team.<\/li>\n<li>As Nigeria move into preparations for upcoming international matches and AFCON qualification encounters, the goalkeeping contest is expected to intensify.<\/li>\n<li>Coach Eric Chelle will face an important selection call when deciding which goalkeeper to start for the Eagles.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Nigeria international Friday Ekpo believes Stanley Nwabali will have to fight hard to win back the Super Eagles\u2019 first-choice goalkeeper spot, arguing that Maduka Okoye\u2019s impressive form in Serie A is making it increasingly difficult to look past him. Ekpo raised particular concern about Nwabali\u2019s lack of regular match action at club level, pointing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Super Eagles: Ekpo Backs Okoye, Nwabali Must Fight","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Friday Ekpo insists Maduka Okoye\u2019s Serie A form keeps him ahead, while Stanley Nwabali must fight through limited minutes to recla","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Super Eagles: Ekpo Backs Okoye, Nwabali Must Fight<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Friday Ekpo insists Maduka Okoye\u2019s Serie A form keeps him ahead, while Stanley Nwabali must fight through limited minutes to recla\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Super Eagles: Ekpo Backs Okoye, Nwabali Must Fight\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Friday Ekpo insists Maduka Okoye\u2019s Serie A form keeps him ahead, while Stanley Nwabali must fight through limited minutes to recla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Zalebs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-20T09:16:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ekpo-tips-form-okoye-eagles-a967.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"584\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"387\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Zibuyile Dladla\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Zibuyile Dladla\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\"},\"headline\":\"Ekpo backs Okoye as Super Eagles No. 1, says Nwabali must fight for spot\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-20T09:16:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":270,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/ekpo-tips-form-okoye-eagles-a967.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\\\/\",\"name\":\"Super Eagles: Ekpo Backs Okoye, Nwabali Must Fight\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/ekpo-tips-form-okoye-eagles-a967.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-20T09:16:57+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\"},\"description\":\"Friday Ekpo insists Maduka Okoye\u2019s Serie A form keeps him ahead, while Stanley Nwabali must fight through limited minutes to recla\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/ekpo-tips-form-okoye-eagles-a967.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/ekpo-tips-form-okoye-eagles-a967.webp\",\"width\":584,\"height\":387},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Ekpo backs Okoye as Super Eagles No. 1, says Nwabali must fight for spot\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Zalebs\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\",\"name\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\"},\"description\":\"Zibuyile began her media journey as a sales intern at Mediamark (Kagiso Media) before moving into digital content creation for ZAlebs.com. Over four years, she helped evolve the platform from a simple blog into one of South Africa\u2019s leading independent entertainment news sites. Following ZAlebs\u2019 transition to Celebrity Worx in 2016, Zibuyile was promoted to Executive Editor, recognized for her sharp audience insight and ability to match editorial with branded content. Highlights of her time include a Bookmark Award nomination, judging TLC\u2019s Next Great Presenter, reporting from the MTV EMAs, and building partnerships with radio stations like YFM, Cliff Central, and Good Hope FM. Her editorial work also expanded to include fast-growing digital verticals\u2014such as lifestyle tech, online entertainment, and gambling-related content\u2014tailored to evolving reader interests and brand opportunities.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/za.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/zibuyile-dladla-9a26628a\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/author\\\/zibuyile-dladla\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Super Eagles: Ekpo Backs Okoye, Nwabali Must Fight","description":"Friday Ekpo insists Maduka Okoye\u2019s Serie A form keeps him ahead, while Stanley Nwabali must fight through limited minutes to recla","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Super Eagles: Ekpo Backs Okoye, Nwabali Must Fight","og_description":"Friday Ekpo insists Maduka Okoye\u2019s Serie A form keeps him ahead, while Stanley Nwabali must fight through limited minutes to recla","og_url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/","og_site_name":"Zalebs","article_published_time":"2026-05-20T09:16:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":584,"height":387,"url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ekpo-tips-form-okoye-eagles-a967.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Zibuyile Dladla","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Zibuyile Dladla","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/"},"author":{"name":"Zibuyile Dladla","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e"},"headline":"Ekpo backs Okoye as Super Eagles No. 1, says Nwabali must fight for spot","datePublished":"2026-05-20T09:16:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/"},"wordCount":270,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ekpo-tips-form-okoye-eagles-a967.webp","articleSection":["Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/","name":"Super Eagles: Ekpo Backs Okoye, Nwabali Must Fight","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ekpo-tips-form-okoye-eagles-a967.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-20T09:16:57+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e"},"description":"Friday Ekpo insists Maduka Okoye\u2019s Serie A form keeps him ahead, while Stanley Nwabali must fight through limited minutes to recla","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ekpo-tips-form-okoye-eagles-a967.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ekpo-tips-form-okoye-eagles-a967.webp","width":584,"height":387},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/ekpo-backs-okoye-as-super-eagles-no-1-says-nwabali-must-fight-for-spot\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ekpo backs Okoye as Super Eagles No. 1, says Nwabali must fight for spot"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/","name":"Zalebs","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e","name":"Zibuyile Dladla","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Zibuyile Dladla"},"description":"Zibuyile began her media journey as a sales intern at Mediamark (Kagiso Media) before moving into digital content creation for ZAlebs.com. Over four years, she helped evolve the platform from a simple blog into one of South Africa\u2019s leading independent entertainment news sites. Following ZAlebs\u2019 transition to Celebrity Worx in 2016, Zibuyile was promoted to Executive Editor, recognized for her sharp audience insight and ability to match editorial with branded content. Highlights of her time include a Bookmark Award nomination, judging TLC\u2019s Next Great Presenter, reporting from the MTV EMAs, and building partnerships with radio stations like YFM, Cliff Central, and Good Hope FM. Her editorial work also expanded to include fast-growing digital verticals\u2014such as lifestyle tech, online entertainment, and gambling-related content\u2014tailored to evolving reader interests and brand opportunities.","sameAs":["https:\/\/za.linkedin.com\/in\/zibuyile-dladla-9a26628a"],"url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/author\/zibuyile-dladla\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}