Seven players have withdrawn from the Super Eagles’ international friendly against Russia, with the Nigeria Football Federation explaining the reasons behind the latest wave of withdrawals ahead of Tuesday’s encounter.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi, Raphael Onyedika, Moses Usor, Akpe Victory, Bright Osayi-Samuel and two other players have all pulled out of the friendly scheduled to take place at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.
According to a statement from the Media Department of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ndidi and Basel defender Akpe Victory have been ruled out of the encounter due to injuries.
“Captain Wilfred Ndidi was knocked out by a small knock sustained during last week’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Guinea-Bissau,” the statement clarified. “Switzerland-based defender Victory Akpe has been stopped from flying to Russia by injury.”
Meanwhile, the trio of Raphael Onyedika, Bright Osayi-Samuel and UAE-based midfielder Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola have been withdrawn from the friendly after their respective clubs prevented them from featuring in the encounter.
“Midfielder Raphael Onyedika was stopped from travelling to Russia by his German club, Eintracht Frankfurt. Defender Bright Osayi-Samuel and UAE-based midfielder Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola were stopped by their clubs.”
Following the depletion of the squad, Chelle handed a late invitation to Moses Usor, who marked his debut with a goal as the Super Eagles secured a 2-1 victory over Madagascar.
However, Austrian club LASK have also refused to release the forward for the friendly, with the club prioritising his return ahead of their upcoming fixtures.
“Austria-based Moses Usor, who scored on his debut for Nigeria against Madagascar in Uyo on 25th September, not originally listed for the trip. However, when eventually he was requested by Head Coach Éric Chelle, LASK FC told him he should not fly to Russia.”
On his part, Slavia Prague forward Suleiman Mubarak, who was in contention to make his Super Eagles debut against Russia, has also been ruled out of the encounter due to issues surrounding his residence permit.
“Suleiman Mubarak, invited from Slavia Prague in Czechia, could not travel to Russia because his resident permit has not been secured,” the statement concluded.
The latest wave of withdrawals represents a major setback for Super Eagles manager Eric Chelle as he looks to guide the team back to winning ways following their disappointing defeat to Guinea-Bissau.
Despite the withdrawals, Nigeria will be keen to secure a victory against Russia, having played out a 1-1 draw in their previous friendly meeting at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium 16 months ago.
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