Nigeria U23 head Coach, Salisu Yusuf, has invited Gent hot-sensation Gift Orban and 15 others to the Olympic Eagles camp ahead of next week’s Africa U23 Cup of Nations final qualifying fixture (U23AFCONQ) against Guinea, www.aclsports.com reports.
Orban, who made history in Europe on Wednesday, has been in top form since he moved to Gent at the turn of the year, scoring 12 goals from nine games and has now been rightly handed a national team call-up.
All of these secondary invitations became necessary after the team was hit by a massive age scandal earlier this week, which has forced 16 of the 30 originally called-up players to depart the camp.
Latvia-based Abiodun “Omojesu” Ogunniyi has been recalled to the side. He makes a return after helping the side see off Tanzania in the last qualifying round in Ibadan last year. Captain Success Makanjuola also makes a return to the side, while former Plateau United defender Ibrahim Buhari, who currently plays for IF Efsborg in Sweden, has also been called up.
The first leg match will take place at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Wednesday, 22nd March 2023, starting from 4pm, while the reverse fixture will hold on March 27 in Guinea.
NEW LIST OF FOREIGN PLAYERS FOR THE U23AFCONQ
Success Makanjuola (FK Liepaja, Latvia); Bello Babatunde (Future FC, Egypt); Isaiah Ejeh (Mjallby Alf, Sweden); Abiodun Ogunniyi (FK Auda, Latvia); Monsuru Opeyemi Abdullahi (FC Vizela, Portugal); Omole Akinyinka Olaoluwakitan (Athletic Newham, UK); Owen Tega Udoh (UD San Sebastian Reyes, Spain); Azeez Temitope Yusuf (Mjallby Alf, Sweden); Charles Uba (Lillestrom FC, Norway); Simon Omon (Clube Operation Desportivo, Portugal); Ihekuna Maximillian Ugochukwu (FC Sfintul Gheorghe Suruceni, Moldova); Chukwudi Goodluck Igbokwe (KAA Gent, Belgium); Abass Saidi (Zagalata FC, Azerbaijan); Ibrahim Buhari (IF Elfsborg, Sweden); Gift Emmanuel Orban (KAA Gent, Belgium); Samuel Amadi (Eramica Cleopatra, Egypt).
