Super Eagles defender Chibuike Nwaiwu has been handed a two-match suspension by the UEFA Disciplinary Committee following his dismissal in Trabzonspor’s UEFA Europa League play-off first-leg defeat to Ferencváros, according to a report by Haberler.
Nwaiwu was shown a direct red card in the closing stages of Trabzonspor’s 1-0 defeat to the Hungarian side at Papara Park on August 20.
The defender was sent off in the sixth minute of stoppage time for violent conduct.
The dismissal came after Ferencváros had taken the lead through Kristoffer Zachariassen in the 17th minute.
Despite Trabzonspor creating opportunities to get back into the match, the Turkish side could not find an equaliser and eventually suffered a narrow home defeat.
Nwaiwu’s red card has now resulted in a two-match UEFA suspension, meaning he will miss Trabzonspor’s Europa League play-off second leg against Ferencváros in Hungary on Thursday.
The suspension, however, will extend beyond the return fixture. Nwaiwu will still have another European match to serve after Thursday’s encounter because his two-match ban carries over into subsequent UEFA matches.
His absence comes at an important stage of Trabzonspor’s European campaign, with the Turkish club needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit in Hungary to progress from the play-off tie.
The return leg is scheduled for Thursday, August 27, with Trabzonspor travelling to Hungary knowing that victory by more than one goal would secure their place in the Europa League league phase.
Wale Adejumo
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