Iwobi barred from Nigeria’s qualifiers

 

Everton forward, Alex Iwobi, was forced to pull out of Nigeria’s African Cup of Nations qualifier against Benin after testing positive for COVID-19.

Fans of the Super Eagles had been looking forward to seeing Iwobi in action.

However, the former Arsenal star was nowhere to be found in the starting line-up. Neither was he named among the substitutes. The development had come as a huge surprise to many; especially in view of the fact that he was named among the invitees for the match against Benin.

Furthermore, Iwobi is widely regarded as a regular starter for the Super Eagles, when fit.

Now, it has emerged that Iwobi was barred from the squad due to a positive COVID-19 test. The COVID-19 infection was reportedly detected during mandatory testing of the Super Eagles’ squad prior to the match in Porto Novo.

Meanwhile, Nigeria have already qualified for the AFCON finals. The team had a late Paul Onuachu goal to thank for the feat; after a lacklustre display that saw them struggle to create clear-cut chances.

Iwobi will now undergo a period of quarantine before he can rejoin the Everton squad for first-team training; meaning he will also miss Nigeria’s upcoming match against Lesotho on Tuesday.