The Nigeria Football Federation has explained the withdrawal of Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi, midfielder Raphael Onyedika and five other players from Nigeria’s international friendly against Russia, citing injuries, club restrictions and a documentation problem.
The withdrawals have left head coach Éric Chelle with a depleted squad ahead of Tuesday’s encounter at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.
Ndidi suffered a minor knock during Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Guinea-Bissau last week and was subsequently ruled out of the friendly.
Switzerland-based defender Victory Akpe was also unable to travel after sustaining an injury.
The NFF said the setbacks had significantly weakened the squad available for the Russia encounter.
Clubs stop Onyedika, Osayi-Samuel, Popoola
Three other players were prevented from joining the squad by their respective clubs.
Midfielder Raphael Onyedika was stopped from travelling by his German club, Eintracht Frankfurt.
Defender Bright Osayi-Samuel and UAE-based midfielder Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola were also prevented from travelling by their clubs.
The NFF did not indicate that the players were injured, but said their clubs had refused to release them for the friendly.
LASK blocks Usor after late invitation
Forward Moses Usor also became unavailable despite being invited by Chelle.
Usor scored on his Super Eagles debut in Nigeria’s 2-1 victory over Madagascar in Uyo on September 25. He was not initially included on the travelling list, but Chelle later requested his release.
However, his Austrian club, LASK, told him not to travel to Russia.
The late request therefore left the forward unavailable for the friendly.
Residence permit keeps Mubarak out
Slavia Prague forward Suleiman Mubarak, who was in contention for his Super Eagles debut, was another absentee.
According to the NFF, the player could not travel because his residence permit had not been secured.
The issue further reduced Chelle’s options as he prepares the team for the Russia test.
Chelle forced to work with depleted squad
The withdrawals initially left 18 players in camp, with Ibraheem Ajasa of Russian club FC Rostov later invited as a replacement.
The Super Eagles are coming into the friendly after a mixed international window. Nigeria defeated Madagascar 2-1 before suffering a heavy 3-0 loss to Guinea-Bissau in their latest 2027 AFCON qualifier.
The Russia game therefore gives Chelle an opportunity to assess new options and restore confidence after the disappointing defeat.
Nigeria seeking better result against Russia
Nigeria and Russia last met in Moscow in June 2025, with both sides playing out a 1-1 draw.
Russia are entering Tuesday’s encounter in stronger recent form, having defeated Iran 2-0 before thrashing Namibia 6-0.
The Super Eagles will hope to produce a better performance despite the absence of several key players.
For Nigerian football fans, the withdrawals mean the Super Eagles will face Russia without several established players, while Chelle will have to rely more heavily on younger and less experienced members of the squad.
The situation also gives fringe players an opportunity to stake their claim for future competitive fixtures, particularly as Nigeria continues its preparations for the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign.
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