Izuchukwu Okosi
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Former Super Eagles left back Ifeanyi Udeze hopes Napoli striker Victor Osimhen can make the Nigerian squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations as his Serie A club has the rights to stop him from representing his country.
Osimhen has been named in Nigeria’s 28 man squad for the tournament after he publicly expressed his desire to play in Cameroon following his recent return to training.
The former Weder Bremen and Lille striker suffered sickening facial and cheekbone injuries sustained in a league game against Inter Milan in November and is only just returning to full fitness.
“Napoli has the right to stop Osimhen for going to the Africa Cup of Nations despite it being a FIFA tournament because he hasn’t played a match for them after his injury,” Udeze said on Brila FM Monday morning.
“If he had played at least just a game for Napoli then Napoli would not stop him. But so far, he hasn’t and Napoli don’t have a big game until January 6th against Juventus. That is a time you expect the youngman to be in the national team camp. Let’s see how it goes.
“Unless there’s an agreement between Osimhen and his club and also the Nigeria Football Federation, ‘gbege go dey for am’ (there will be trouble for Osimhen).
“The way I see the young man, he’s ready to push to attend the tournament because he has the passion to play for his country but what it means is that when he returns he should be ready to face the consequences thereafter,” Udeze who was in Nigeria’s teams to the 2002 and 2004 Africa Cup of Nations further said.
Napoli’s lawyer Mattias Grassani had threatened that the club might sue Osimhen if he travels to Cameroon for the AFCON with Nigeria.
Grassani said, “[Napoli] have invested a lot of money in signing Victor Osimhen and if he were to come back infected it would be tough.
“The first step would be a warning [to prevent a call up] then if there were concrete elements to sue because the health standards are not the same as in European competitions, then there could be more appeals to gain an exemption for Europe-based players!”
Should Osimhen be allowed to play at the tournament, he is likely to join the team on January 7, four days before the Super Eagles’ Group D opening game against seven-time African champions Egypt.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
