Sodiq Oyeleke with agency report
The former Enyimba striker, Uche Kalu, has been ruled out of the continental tournament because of a persistent groin problem.
Also, Nigeria have closed the Africa Cup of Nations door on Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi after he failed to arrive this weekend at the team training camp in Portugal.
As reported yesterday from the camp of the Super Eagles in Faro, Portugal, that former Enyimba striker, Uche Kalu is injured, Goal.com can exclusively reveal that the Rizespor striker has been ruled out of the Nations Cup due to a persistent groin injury.
A very close source to the Turkey-based player, Chike Onyeacho told Goal.com that the player will be returning to Nigeria this weekend to see his family before returning to his club in Turkey to treat the injury.
“Kalu did not play in the last two league matches for Rizespor and he thought the groin injury would heal but unfortunately it persisted,” Onyeacho told Goal.com.
Kalu is the highest goal scorer in the second division in Turkey with nine goals and has been a part of the Super Eagles set up since Coach Stephen Keshi took up the affairs of the team.
Onyeacho added that the player is not too sad concerning missing the African championship as he has many more years in his football career.
“There is the World Cup qualifiers that get underway in March and he wants to be fit for the Eagles,” he added.
Kalu moved to Turkey on loan from Enyimba till the end of the 2012/13 season
A very close source to the Turkey-based player, Chike Onyeacho told Goal.com that the player will be returning to Nigeria this weekend to see his family before returning to his club in Turkey to treat the injury.
“Kalu did not play in the last two league matches for Rizespor and he thought the groin injury would heal but unfortunately it persisted,” Onyeacho told Goal.com.
Kalu is the highest goal scorer in the second division in Turkey with nine goals and has been a part of the Super Eagles set up since Coach Stephen Keshi took up the affairs of the team.
Onyeacho added that the player is not too sad concerning missing the African championship as he has many more years in his football career.
“There is the World Cup qualifiers that get underway in March and he wants to be fit for the Eagles,” he added.
Kalu moved to Turkey on loan from Enyimba till the end of the 2012/13 season
Meanwhile, Amoebi, the 31-year-old striker, made his senior international debut against Venezuela two months ago and was set to be included in a 23-man Super Eagles squad for the Cup of Nations between January 19 and February 10.
But once Ameobi was chosen in a provisional Nigerian squad, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said the player would not be going to South Africa for the tournament without giving a reason.
Although it emerged that a clause in the contract of Ameobi allowed the English Premier League club to retain his services during the tournament, Eagles coach Stephen Keshi did not drop him from the squad until this weekend.
“The chapter concerning Ameobi is now closed and we are looking ahead to the announcement of the final 23-man squad this week,” Nigeria team spokesman Ben Alaiya told reporters at the camp in Faro.
Alaiya added that the squad to face defending champions Zambia, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia in Rustenburg-based Group C could be named Tuesday, a day before Nigeria play a warm-up match against the Cape Verde Islands in Portugal.
The Eagles will be hoping to build on an impressive first warm-up last Wednesday when an experimental team that started with seven local players drew 1-1 in Spain against a Catalonia side containing several Barcelona stars.
Written by NEWSTRAWL ONLINE UPDATE
Sodiq Oyeleke is a Media, Human Resources, Project Management and Public Relations Practitioner
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