Super Eagles interim boss, Austin Eguavoen has named two players to replace Odion Ighalo in the squad for Cameroon 2022.
According to the former national team captain, either Hammarby winger, Akinkunmi Amoo or Silas Nwankwo of Nasarawa United would take Ighalo’s place if CAF permits more late changes.
As Eguavoen confirmed, Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has been trying to convince CAF to let the Super Eagles handlers add one more player to their squad after Ighalo’s Saudi Arabian club side refused to allow him travel for the tournament.
CAF rules only allow such late changes on health grounds.
Eguaoven told NFF TV on Thursday evening, “Yes. We spoke, we exchanged text messages and from his response he’s doing everything possible to come and I thought of replacing him, I gave a deadline,” when asked if he had spoken to Ighalo.
“I tried to bring in either the boy from Nasarawa United, Silas Nwankwo. He’s a good player no doubt because he is a striker and also Akinkunmi Amoo but he’s not a striker but again he can play off strikers.
“I thought of replacing Ighalo with any of them but what they are saying is that CAF allows that only based on injury, health reasons, that’s the only way you can replace players.”
He said the NFF has not stopped making efforts towards that and added that all hope is not lost in Ighalo honouring the invitation as “the young man Odion is also doing his best from there, hopefully, we get a positive answer.”
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