Africa-Press – Eswatini. Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo will miss the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon after Saudi Arabian club Al Shabab refused to release him.
Al Shabab said that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) missed the official deadline to call up Ighalo.
“Forward Odion Ighalo is no longer expected as a result of issues with his Saudi Arabian club,” the NFF said in a statement.
FIFA rules state that countries must notify players’ clubs of national team call-ups 15 days before the start of a tournament.
26-year-old Peter Olayinka, who plays for Czech Republic club, Slavia Prague, will replace Ighalo.
A similar situation was behind the exclusion of Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis with club manager Claudio Ranieri saying the NFF did not “respect the days”.
32-year-old Ighalo announced his retirement from international football in July 2019 after helping the Super Eagles secure third place at the last edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.
He had finished as the tournament’s top scorer with five goals and also was the leading scorer in that edition’s qualifiers with seven goals.
Nigeria is scheduled to play record seven-time champions Egypt in their opening Group D match on Tuesday.
For More News And Analysis About Eswatini Follow Africa-Press
