Chippa United Coach Admits Regret Over Playing Stanley Nwabali

Chippa United Coach Admits Regret Over Playing Nwabali

Sampson Adedeji

Chippa United coach Thabo September has expressed regret over his decision to play Nigerian Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, who had requested a rest following the recent deaths of both his parents, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Nwabali, who tragically lost both his father and mother within two months, had been struggling emotionally.

After burying his father, he suffered another heartbreaking loss when his mother passed away on January 1. 

The goalkeeper revealed that he was still not emotionally stable and was grappling with the loss.

Ahead of the match against TS Galaxy, Nwabali had asked to be rested, stating that he was not in the right mental state to play.

However, despite his request, September opted to include him in the lineup. Unfortunately, Nwabali made a crucial error late in the match at Mbombela, allowing Galaxy to score.

In the 80th minute, after making a save, he attempted to quickly distribute the ball to a teammate but ended up passing it directly to an opponent.

Reflecting on the situation, September admitted, "Where we lost it, maybe it’s from the bench. From me, from the coaching side, because my goalkeeper did plead with me that he was not okay today and he wanted to rest.

He’s going through a lot. Him being the number one goalkeeper, I pushed him and said he must play", he told FARPOST. Despite the blunder, September praised Nwabali for his overall performance during the game.