Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has said he spoke with Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle before the invitations for the Unity Cup and June friendlies were sent out. He decided to opt out for personal reasons, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
Awoniyi was left out of both squads even though he was back in form at Forest.
His last game for the Super Eagles was in October 2024. He played 16 minutes in Nigeria’s 1-0 win over Libya during a 2025 AFCON qualifier.
Before that, he last appeared in a 1-1 draw against Lesotho in Uyo during Nigeria’s first match of the failed 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
The 28-year-old has missed two AFCON tournaments. He turned down the chance to return to the team after being invited for the upcoming friendlies against Poland and Portugal.
“I was supposed to be in the Super Eagles camp, but I opted out because of personal reasons I have to attend to,” Awoniyi told SportsBoom.
“We have lots of talents in the Super Eagles. So for me, everyone that is in the team for the June friendlies is as good as me, just as I’m as good as them,” he added.
After struggling with fitness issues at the end of last season and the start of this one, Awoniyi made a strong comeback. He helped Forest avoid relegation.
One of his best performances was scoring twice against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier in May. This brought his total to four goals and one assist in 17 appearances.
That game was only his second start of the campaign. He made just one more start before the end of the season.
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