Desire Oparanozie has revealed the reason behind her withdrawal from Nigeria’s squad for the 2023 Africa Women Cup of Nations which begins next month.
Oparanozie will not feature at this year’s edition to be held in Morocco, it has been confirmed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
The Wuhan Jianghan forward will be replaced by Anam Imo who plies her trade with Piteå IF in the Swedish women’s top division. Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene (Eskilstuna Utd) was also drafted in to replace Chinwendu Ihezuo.
In a social media post, Oparanozie has now revealed why she was dropped. The 28-year-old wrote:
“Due to issues bothering on border restrictions, which is beyond my control. I am officially unavailable to serve. Which explains my replacement. I wish the team all the best in Morocco as I will be cheering from here. Go Super Falcons.”
Nigeria is the AWCON’s most successful nation, having won an unprecedented 11 titles. The Super Falcons have been placed in Group D alongside South Africa, Botswana and Burundi. On July 4, they will kick off their campaign against South Africa’s Banyana Banyana at the Stade Moulay Hassan in Rabat.
