Super Eagles and Chippa United goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali may miss the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations due to ankle and hand injuries.
His club coach in the South African PSL, Vusimuzi Vilakazi, revealed that Nwabali is dealing with a serious ankle problem, in addition to a hand injury that requires surgery. According to Vilakazi, the goalkeeper aggravated the hand injury during Nigeria’s World Cup playoff match in Morocco.
Vilakazi expressed doubts about Nwabali’s ability to recover in time for AFCON, though the player remains optimistic.
“I don’t think he will make it,” the coach said. “But when we spoke, he sounded confident about recovering soon. Naturally, he wants to be part of the Cup of Nations.”
He emphasized that, as things stand, Nwabali is still injured but hopes for a quick recovery.
Nwabali has not played since Nigeria’s penalty shootout defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo in last month’s World Cup playoff in Rabat.
Although he is listed in Nigeria’s provisional squad, the final 27-man squad for the tournament has yet to be announced.
His potential absence adds to head coach Eric Chelle’s growing injury list, with defender Benjamin Fredrick sidelined by a knee issue and captain William Troost-Ekong recently retiring from international football.
0 Comments