I left Al-Shabab because I was not released for AFCON: Ighalo

Super Eagles striker, Odion Ighalo, says he left his former club Al-Shabab FC because the club refused to release him for the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Ighalo, 32, was listed in Super Eagles squad for the tournament, but was later substituted few days to the tournament that held in Cameroon.
Narrating how his former club refused to release him for the tournament, Ighalo expressed dissatisfaction, saying the club’s decision made him unhappy.
“Four hours until my flight [to Cameroon], they had not sent me the exit visa. I called the team manager, and he told me they did not get an invitation. But I had a copy of the invitation that was sent because they copied me in the email,” Ighalo told ESPN in an interview on Thursday.
“We had all this back and forth going on, I changed the ticket to the next day, and then the third day, and they still did not send me the visa. At that point, I knew they did not want me to go. My anger was that they should have told me straight up, not smiling in my face one day and then acting a different way. That is why I decided to leave,” Ighalo said.
In late January, Ighalo left Al-Shabab for another Saudi side Al Hilal, leading the team’s attack in February against Chelsea in FIFA Club World Cup game.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette

States
Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future
The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.

Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Lagos
Injured victims hospitalised after multiple vehicle accident on Lagos road
The auto crash involved a Hilux van, patrol van, truck, and a Toyota car.

Abuja
Nigerians should not board commercial vehicles without extinguishers, warns fire service
The Federal Fire Service in Abuja sensitised commuters on Tuesday to the need to board commercial vehicles with functional fire extinguishers.

Politics
Politicians inciting Nigerian youths to violence during 2027 elections while hiding their children abroad: Keyamo
“After safely ferrying their children abroad, some unscrupulous politicians are encouraging hapless citizens…to take up weapons to kill one another…,” Mr Keyamo said.

Heading 2
Emir of Daura recommends death penalty for drug traffickers
Mr Issa assured the emir of the agency’s commitment to supporting efforts to combat drug abuse.

Rights
Nigerian men suffering in silence, afraid to speak out about experiencing domestic violence at home: Gender Advocate
Ms Dally, speaking in an interview in Abuja on Tuesday, said expectations that men must remain strong and emotionally invulnerable discourage male victims from speaking out.

States
FRSC moves against number plate misuse, overloading nationwide
Some illicit substances found on some passengers of the vehicle were handed over to NDLEA by the FRSC.





