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Kelechi Nwakali claims he was sacked for playing for Nigeria at Afcon’

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Kelechi Nwakali (left) featured three times for Nigeria at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations

Nigeria international Kelechi Nwakali, according to a BBC report,  claims SD Huesca terminated his contract after he played at the Africa Cup of Nations against the Spanish club’s wishes and he then turned down a transfer in January.

The 23-year-old said he “will no longer suffer in silence” as he made a series of allegations against the club in a statement posted on Twitter.

Midfielder Nwakali alleges Huesca sporting director Ruben Garcia pressured him not to join the Super Eagles squad for January’s Nations Cup and that the club had been “abusing its power” in an attempt to force him to sign a new contract, including failing to pay his wages on time.

Huesca “completely deny and disagree with the player’s accusations” and say they will defend themselves in court if required.

“The club has acted at all times with the utmost respect for the player,” a Huesca statement said.

“Given the seriousness of some of the statements made, the club reserves the exercise of any actions it deems appropriate in defence of its legitimate rights and interests.”

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The second-tier outfit announced it had terminated Nwakali’s deal, which was due to expire at the end of this season, on Tuesday but did not give a reason for the decision.

Nwakali’s final appearance for the club had come against Girona on 2 January, before he departed for international duty.

Nwakali featured three times for Nigeria at the Nations Cup in Cameroon, but missed their last-16 defeat by Tunisia through illness.

He also claimed he had been made to train alone after returning to Huesca on 1 February.

Nwakali joined Huesca from Arsenal in September 2019 and featured a total of 33 times during his time with the club.

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“All I want to do is get back to playing the sport I love,” Nwakali added.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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AFCON

Libya’s AFCON dreams go up in flames!

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The hopes of Libya securing a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations ticket seem to have gone up in smoke.  This is the sequel to the 2-1 defeat that Rwanda inflicted on the Benin Republic on Tuesday evening.

With the result, Libya’s position is further cemented at the bottom of the table. Nigeria, even with an outstanding match, still leads with seven points.

They are followed by Benin Republic who have six points. Rwanda followed with five points.

The star men were  Innocent Nshuti and Djihad Bizimana  who scored in the space of two minutes as Rwanda came from behind to defeat Benin 2-1 at Amahoro Stadium on Tuesday, October 15.

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AFCON

Rwanda breaks 12-year jinx in victory over Benin Republic

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FILE PHOTO: Rwanda players celebrate in the dressing room after beating Lesotho 1-0 on Tuesday in Durban, South Africa, to go top of Group C in the ongoing World Cup 2026 qualifiers-courtesy.

Rwanda’s defeat of Benin Republic is not just their first win in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series, the victory terminates a 12-year winless streak against the Cheetah of Benin.

It is also a renewal of their hopes of qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. But they still have two more games to play.

The German made two changes from the side that started against Benin last week as Samuel Gueulette and Emmanuel Imanishimwe came in for Kevin Muhire and Claude Niyomugabo respectively.

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AFCON

Libya vs Nigeria: CAF lifts the burden off Nigeria

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The press release on Tuesday by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) may have lifted a burden off Nigeria as the match with Libya is considered postponed rather than the Super Eagles refusing to play.

The continental body remarked that the matter would be referred to the competent CAF bodies.

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