As many as four players who represented Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations where they finished second after a 1-2 loss to the host Cote d’Ivoire in the final will not be in the squad for the games of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Nigeria will resume the world cup qualifiers under a new coach in Finidi George, who has been appointed as the substantive coach of the team following the exit of Jose Peseiro in February upon the expiration of his contract.
Finidi held the role in interim capacity before stepping up to his present designation two weeks ago. He is expected to lead the team out when they take on South Africa in June in Uyo and Benin Republic in Cote d’Ivoire.
Already he has drawn up the list of players who will be called up to the team for the two crucial games but has left out the quartet of William Troost-Ekong, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Moses Simon and Zaidu Sanusi.
Simon is recuperating from the surgery he had after sustaining an ankle injury while on international duty with Nigeria, Ekong was ruled out of the season upon his return from the AFCON where he was voted the most valuable player (MVP) of the tournament. He isn’t expected to be back till the second week of June.
Zaidu Sanusi is also expected to return within the same time frame, while Osayi Samuel recently picked up an injury that lead to his substitution in Galatasaray 0-0 draw against Konyaspor on Tuesday. The length of time he will be out injured is not known yet according to a statement on the official website of the club.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
