How My Former Saudi Arabian Club Al Shabab Stopped My AFCON Hopes

 

Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo has made a clear-the-air explanation on why he did not take part in Nigeria’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Cameroon.

Ighalo along with the duo of Emmanuel Dennis and Victor Osimhen were all expected to be part of the Eagles squad for the AFCON but a face-off with his club and his teammates with their clubs also dented Nigeria’s Nations Cup winning chances.

In an interview with ESPN, Ighalo revealed that he quit Saudi Arabian club, Al Shabab because of the club’s refusal to allow him represent Nigeria at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Ighalo was named in Nigeria’s 30-man squad for the competition, but the striker was not released by the club for the competition despite his desire to represent the Super Eagles.

The 32-year-old claimed Al Shabab were supposed to issue him an exit visa in order to allow him travel to Cameroon, but they did not do so.

The decision according to the striker resulted in a discord between him and the club, and he decided to join rival club Al Hilal.

While speaking with ESPN, Ighalo said: “I was not happy with them and we decided to part ways because the Nations Cup that I didn’t go to caused a lot of bad blood.

“Four hours until my flight [to Cameroon], they had not sent me the exit visa. I called the team manager, and he told me they did not get an invitation. But I had a copy of the invitation that was sent because they copied me in the email.

“We had all this back and forth going on, I changed the ticket to the next day, and then the third day, and they still did not send me the visa. At that point I knew they did not want me to go.

“My anger was that they should have told me straight up, not smiling in my face one day and then acting a different way. That is why I decided to leave.”