Omonia Nicosia of Cyprus goalkeeper Francis Uzoho has been placed on standby as the likely replacement for injured Stanley Nwabali who is in a race against time to be fit for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Nwabali has been the first choice goalkeeper of the Nigerian team since the last AFCON, where they finished second after losing 1-2 to host Cote d’Ivoire in the final.
In the build up to the tournament, head coach of Chippa United Vusumuzi Vilakazi said the 29 year old has been battling with an ankle injury, and also a hand injury lately and will require some time to be fit and ready for a tournament like the AFCON.
“I doubt it, looking at the state of his injury,” Vilakazi told SuperSport.com. “I don’t think he will make it, but when I was talking to him, he was confident that he will recover very soon. Obviously, as a player, he wants to be there at the Cup of Nations finals. But the reality is that he is still injured. I also hope for the best that he might find himself there”, he stated.
In the event that he fails to be fit for the tournament, head coach Eric Chelle has already picked the out of favour Uzoho as his replacement, using his experience as a yardstick although he is expected to be behind Maduka Okoye and his deputy Amas Obasogie.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
