By Emmanuel Okogba
Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, is battling to recover from ankle and hand injuries ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco later this month, raising concerns about his availability for the Super Eagles’ opening matches.
Chippa United coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi expressed doubts over the 29-year-old’s fitness, noting that Nwabali has yet to return to full training since Nigeria’s loss to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the World Cup qualifying playoff last month. The match ended in a post-match penalty shootout defeat in Rabat.
“I doubt it, looking at the state of his injury,” Vilakazi told SuperSport.com. “I don’t think he will make it, but when I was talking to him, he was confident that he will recover very soon. Obviously, as a player, he wants to be there at the Cup of Nations finals. But the reality is that he is still injured. I also hope for the best that he might find himself there.”
Vilakazi explained that Nwabali’s ankle injury is compounded by a hand issue, which may require surgery. “He’s been playing with that hand for a while and aggravated the injury while he was in Morocco,” the coach added.
Nwabali, who has been Nigeria’s regular goalkeeper since helping the team reach the final of the last AFCON – where they were narrowly beaten 2-1 by Ivory Coast – has earned 27 international caps. He was included in the provisional squad announced last week, though Nigeria’s final squad is yet to be confirmed.
The Super Eagles are drawn in Group C and will face Tanzania in their opening AFCON game in Fes on 23 December.
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