WHY NDIDI, ONYEDIKA, OTHERS WITHDREW FROM FRIENDLY SQUAD – NFF

Nigeria Football Federation releases official statement detailing injuries, club restrictions, and administrative hurdles that depleted the Super Eagles squad ahead of Russia friendly

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has released an official explanation detailing why captain Wilfred Ndidi, Raphael Onyedika, and several other key players withdrew from the Super Eagles squad ahead of their international friendly match against Russia.

According to the NFF, the late withdrawals trimmed manager Éric Chelle's squad down from 24 players to 18, driven by a combination of injuries, club restrictions, and administrative hurdles.

Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi was forced out after picking up a minor knock during a qualifying fixture, returning to his club for proper evaluation and recovery. In addition, both Raphael Onyedika and Bright Osayi-Samuel were heavily restricted or outrightly blocked by their respective European clubs from making the long trip to Russia for the high-profile fixture.

The wave of missing names also included defender Akpe Victory, who was ruled out injured, along with Moses Usor, who was withheld by his club LASK, and midfielder Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola due to administrative processing delays.

Despite the depleted 18-man roster heading into the match at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, the team retained experienced figures like goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, forward Moses Simon, and striker Akor Adams to prosecute the encounter.

Football administrators noted that while squad depth was severely tested, the arrangement provided an opportunity to assess fringe players under competitive international pressure.