Arsenal Playing Hardball With NFF Over Release Of Alex Iwobi For Olympic Games

The Nigeria Football Federation are holding high-level talks with the Arsenal brass over the release of Alex Iwobi for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Prior to making his debut for the Super Eagles, the Hale End Academy product first trained with the Nigeria U23s and was poised to play for the team in an All-Africa Games qualifier but was later dropped due to uncertainty surrounding his eligibility.

In April, manager Arsene Wenger declared that Arsenal will not stand in the way if Alex Iwobi wants to play at the Games.

“We respect that, and also the possibility that he will go to the Olympic Games, that he will also go to the Africa Cup of Nations and travel a bit more than he would have done here,” Wenger said.

With the new Premier League season set to kickoff on August 13, the Gunners have made a U-turn over Iwobi’s participation in Brazil, as he will miss pre-season training and might be frozen out by the club when he returns to N7 7AJ.

Iwobi’s uncle, retired Nigeria international Emma Okocha, told allnigeriasoccer.com : “Nobody knows yet if Alex Iwobi will play at the Olympic Games.

“They are still negotiating with Arsenal but nothing has been concluded. He wants to play at the Games.”

The 20-year-old Alex Iwobi has won six caps for the senior national team, having made his international debut in a friendly fixture against Democratic Republic of Congo last October.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel