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'I was not happy about missing AFCON2021'- Ighalo explains Al-Shabab exit

Ighalo was not happy that Al-Shabab stopped him from representing his beloved country Nigeria at the AFCON.
Odion Ighalo scored twice against Al-Hilal
Odion Ighalo scored twice against Al-Hilal

Super Eagles of Nigeria forward Odion Ighalo has explained the reason why he left Al-Shabab.

Ighalo early this year left Al-Shabab for league rivals Al-Hilal in what was a shock change of clubs.

The 32-year-old has now detailed the events that led to his departure citing administrative issues.

According to Ighalo, representing Nigeria at the recently concluded 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon was a priority for him however his club did not aid his cause to compete at the tournament.

In an interview with ESPN, Ighalo stated that there were visa issues that the administration failed to sort out.

He said, "I was not happy with them and we decided to part ways because the Nations Cup that I didn't go to caused a lot of bad blood,"

"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.

"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."

The ex-Manchester United man scored a brace for Al-Hilal in his first meeting against his former club Al-Shabab on Thursday, February 17, 2022.

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