Nigeria international Igoh Ogbu has returned to training with Slavia Prague following his involvement with the Super Eagles at the recently concluded 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
The central defender featured in three matches during Nigeria’s campaign, including the third-place playoff victory over Egypt, which was decided via a penalty shootout.
Ogbu’s return was confirmed by Slavia Prague head coach Jindřich Trpišovský, who spoke during his pre-match press conference ahead of the club’s UEFA Champions League fixture against Barcelona.
“Igoh also returned after the successful championship. He was out of the team for a while, but he is already training. Apart from the players who are not on the roster, the squad is complete,” Trpišovský said.
The 25-year-old defender had been a fitness concern ahead of the tournament after spending nearly three months sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Despite those concerns, Ogbu worked his way up the centre-back hierarchy during AFCON, benefitting from the international retirement of former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong and an injury to Benjamin Fredrick, on loan from Brentford.
Ogbu previously made his UEFA Champions League debut for Slavia Prague in their 3–0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on December 9.
His return to full training boosts Slavia Prague’s defensive options ahead of their highly anticipated European encounter with the Spanish giants.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
