How Nwabali Failed Super Eagle’s Selection Test In 2019 – EX- NFF Vice President

Former Vice President, Nigeria Football Federation, Shehu Dikko, has given insight into why new Super Eagles first choice goalkeeper in the ongoing AFCON, Stanley Nwabali, did not feature for the team under former coach Gernot Rohr.

Dikko via his X handle, revealed that Nwabali missed being selected by Rohr in June 2019 during the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Super Six in Lagos after his then club manager tipped him off on Rohr’s presence and he became jittery.

Dikko wrote;

“Nwabali has always been on the radar of the national team”.

“I recalled in June 2019 during the NPFL Super Six in Lagos and he was on the books of Enyimba FC, we invited Gernot Rohr to watch him as a potential successor/competitor to Uzoho. Unfortunately, his club GM went to inform him that Rohr was around to check on him, thinking he was helping him. But that made him so jittery being a young keeper just getting into the groove but he has always been a very good keeper as he even made the NPFL Allstar team in 2022 for the Budweiser match with John Terry and Roberto Carlos and the home-based Super Eagles match with Mexico in USA.

“Anyway, God’s time is always the best and he has once again proved the talent available in the domestic game.”