SUPER Eagles B stand-in coach Daniel Ogunmodede insists Remo Stars duo Sadiq Ismail and Jide Fatokun are both in line to feature for the country at the 2024 African Nations Championship, despite rumours of moves abroad surrounding both players.
The 2025 CHAN will be played from February 1 to 28 in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and the Super Eagles B have opened their training camp in Ikenne on Monday.
Ismail has been linked with a move to Albanian side Fk Partizani while midfielder Fatokun is said to be joining Sudanese giants Al-Merrikh SC.
While Ismail has flown to Albania for the move, Ogunmodede still expects both players to be available for the tournament.
“Jide Fatokun is in the country, I have not seen Sodiq Ismail and I have no official information on him. The two players as it stands will play in CHAN next month,” Ogunmodede said on the SuperSport show Monday Night Football.
Both players were instrumental to Nigeria’s qualification for the tournament with right-back Ismail scoring the first goal in the 3-1 over Ghana while Fatokun played a key role in the midfield of both encounters against the West African rivals.
Ogunmodede and his Rangers International will work with 26 players in their Ikenne camp ahead of the CHAN.
The Confederation of African Football has also fixed Wednesday, January 15 for the draw ceremony of the championship.
The draw will be held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi, Kenya with 18 countries set to battle for the championship exclusively reserved for players plying their trade in the domestic leagues of the countries.
The three co-hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are seeded as A1, B1 and C1 respectively while the 15 other countries are divided into pots 1, 2 and 3 based on their performances from the last three editions.
Pot 1 has two countries Morocco and the reigning champions, Senegal while Pot 2 has five countries; Guinea, Zambia, Madagascar, Rwanda and Sudan.
Nigeria, Mauritania, Niger, Congo, Angola, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo make up Pot 3.
The home-based Super Eagles have never won the tournament, having finished third at the 2014 edition in South Africa before losing the final against hosts Morocco four years later.