By Wale Mustapha
Nigeria head coach, Eric Chelle, faces mounting selection worries following reports that first-choice goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has picked up a serious injury while in club action for Chippa United.
The 29-year-old Nigerian international was stretchered off in the 33rd minute of a South African Premier Division game on Tuesday after a heavy collision with an opponent.
Early assessments suggest he could be a doubt for Nigeria’s upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixtures against Rwanda’s Amavubi and South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
The development adds to Chelle’s growing injury list, with forwards Cyriel Dessers, Victor Boniface, and Akor Adams also uncertain for the double-header due to fitness concerns.
Nwabali, who rose to prominence during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, has established himself as Nigeria’s number one, making his potential absence a huge blow ahead of the qualifiers.
The goalkeeper was named in Nigeria’s 31-man provisional squad released last week, alongside Adebayo Adeleye, Amas Obasogie, and Ebenezer Harcourt, who now stand on standby should Chelle be forced to make changes.
With the qualifiers only weeks away, the Super Eagles’ technical crew will be anxiously monitoring updates from Chippa United’s medical team to determine whether Nwabali can recover in time to guard the posts in the crucial encounters.
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.
