Sports Correspondent
Nigeria’s preparations for their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea-Bissau were disrupted after several clubs raised concerns over the poor condition of the pitch in Bissau, according to Nigerian football publication OwnGoal Nigeria.
The Super Eagles suffered a shock 3-0 defeat at the Estádio Nacional 24 de Setembro on Tuesday, with the state of the playing surface becoming one of the major talking points following the match.
OwnGoal Nigeria reported that six players — Ola Aina, Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze, George Ilenikhena, Benjamin Fredrick and Moses Simon — received restrictions or warnings from their clubs over playing on the surface because of injury concerns.
According to the report, Nottingham Forest defender Aina was advised against playing because of his previous injury suffered on a poor pitch while representing Nigeria against South Africa in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.
The defender was subsequently left on the bench throughout the Guinea-Bissau match.
Nigeria team media officer Promise Efoghe separately linked Aina’s absence to concerns surrounding the condition of the pitch and the defender’s previous injury experience. He said the surface in Bissau was similar to the one where Aina suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for several months.
OwnGoal Nigeria further reported that Atletico Madrid had concerns about Lookman playing on the surface, although the forward indicated that he would not play the entire match.
AC Milan allegedly prevented Chukwueze, who was carrying a knock, from featuring, while Ilenikhena was reportedly restricted to a maximum of 20 minutes by Al Ittihad.
Brentford is also reported to have advised against risking Fredrick, who had only recently returned from a lengthy injury lay-off.
Moses Simon, meanwhile, was reportedly carrying a back problem, with Paris FC said to have limited him to a possible 30-minute appearance.
The reported restrictions are said to have forced coach Éric Chelle to make late adjustments to his plans.
The poor state of the pitch was also acknowledged by Chelle after the defeat. The Nigeria coach said the surface made it difficult for his players to express themselves, although he refused to use it as an excuse for the heavy loss.
“They were more aggressive than us; they were better than us,” Chelle said after the match, while also pointing to the poor playing surface and difficult weather conditions.
The defeat left Nigeria facing an early setback in their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign.
The Super Eagles are now preparing for an international friendly against Russia on October 6 as Chelle seeks to rebuild the side following the disappointing result in Bissau.
