It is over.
Veteran Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo will no longer play at the 2022 AFCON in Cameroun.
This follows the refusal of his Saudi club Al-Shabab to release him for the biennial event.
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) spokesman Ademola Olajire in a statement said there would be no replacement for Ighalo.
“Forward Odion Ighalo is no longer expected as a result of issues with his Saudi Arabian club,” he said.
However, Al-Shabab claimed it did not block Ighalo’s participation.
“We did not prevent the player from joining, but his invitation letter did not reach us within the period specified by FIFA for receiving the players’ call-up letters,” said Majid Al-Marzouki, Al-Shabab’s director of professionalism.
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Ighalo finished the 2019 edition in Egypt as the highest scorer.
He immediately retired from International duties, but returned to help Nigeria advance to the final phase of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria will have to make do with Taiwo Awoniyi, Henry Onyekuru, Sadiq Umar and Peter Olayinka as its main strikers.
