Eric Chelle abandons Nigeria's U23 team for Super Eagles - Olympics dream is on the line

• Eric Chelle has departed the U23 camp to join the Super Eagles in Uyo.

• Nigeria's U23 team face DR Congo in a decisive AFCON qualifying tie.

• Bright Ozebagbe and Deniran Ortega will take charge of the team.

• The qualifiers form part of Nigeria's road to the 2028 Olympic Games.

Eric Chelle's attention has turned back to the Super Eagles, but Nigeria's U23 side still have a major assignment ahead of them.

The Nigeria coach has been spotted in Uyo ahead of the Super Eagles' crucial 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Tanzania, just days after naming and preparing the country's U23 squad for their own important fixture against the Democratic Republic of Congo.

While Chelle had overseen the selection of the team and preparations for the qualifying campaign, he will not travel with the squad to Lubumbashi, instead prioritising the senior national team's must-win encounters against Tanzania.

That means assistant coaches Bright Ozebagbe and Deniran Ortega will be responsible for leading the U23 side through one of their biggest tests in recent years.

The timing creates an unusual situation for Nigeria, with both the senior team and the U23 side involved in important fixtures on the same dates.

Nigeria's U23s will face DR Congo at the Stade TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi on Friday, 13 November, the same day the Super Eagles take on Tanzania in a crucial AFCON 2027 qualifier.

The return leg of the U23 fixture will take place at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo on 17 November.

Victory over DR Congo would move Nigeria a step closer to qualifying for next year's Africa U23 Cup of Nations in Egypt, a tournament that will determine Africa's representatives at the men's football event of the 2028 Olympic Games.

Chelle's squad includes several highly rated young players, including Daniel Daga, Michael Atata and Abdulmuiz Adeleke, all of whom are expected to play key roles in the tie.

However, with the head coach, who has also named his senior team, now focused on reviving the Super Eagles' AFCON qualification hopes, responsibility falls on his assistants to ensure Nigeria's Olympic dream remains alive.

While Uyo prepares for Tanzania, Lubumbashi awaits another battle, and the Olympic Eagles must now prove they can get the job done without the man who assembled them watching from the touchline.