Nigeria’s preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations have received a significant lift following a positive update on the fitness of Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, Soccernet.ng reports.
Initial fears over his availability had grown after Chippa United head coach Vusimuzi Vilakazi publicly suggested the player was unlikely to recover in time for the tournament, citing both ankle and hand injuries.
The 29-year-old has not featured since Nigeria’s dramatic penalty shootout loss to DR Congo in Rabat during the 2026 World Cup qualifying playoffs, with concerns over his fitness deepening.
However, Etafia, leveraging his extensive network in South African football, has offered a significantly more encouraging assessment of the goalkeeper’s condition.
Speaking from his base in southern African nation, the former Moroka Swallows goalkeeper coach confirmed that Nwabali has begun light training and is making meaningful progress in his rehabilitation.
According to Etafia, the Chippa United star has transitioned from gym sessions to light work on the pitch, an important step that suggests his recovery timeline may be shorter than feared. The ex-Super Eagles goalkeeper emphasised that he had spoken directly with one of Nwabali’s teammates, a fellow goalkeeper, who provided assurances that the Nigerian is responding well to treatment.
Etafia’s comments provide balance to the earlier pessimistic comments from Vilakazi, who had said he doubted whether Nwabali would recover in time for AFCON.
The Chippa manager noted that while the player remained confident, medical reality painted a tougher picture:
“He’s been playing with that (injured) hand for a while now and he aggravated the injury in Morocco,” Vilakazi told supersport.com.
“I don’t think he will make it, but when I was talking to him, he was confident that he will recover very soon, but obviously you will understand because he’s a player he wants to be there at the Cup of Nations finals. But the reality is saying for now he is still injured. I also hope for the best that he might find himself there.”
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Stanley Nwabali: AFCON hopes lift as Super Eagles await final squad decision
Despite the contrasting assessments, the latest indication from Etafia has offered renewed hope to Nigeria’s technical crew and supporters.
His detailed update highlighted continuity in Nwabali’s work with the Chippa squad and a structured rehabilitation plan designed to build momentum ahead of the tournament which kicks off on December 21.
“Nwabali has started training,”Etafia said as per the Nation.
“I spoke to one of his teammates, the goalkeeper who was playing when he was on his absence, and he told me that now he has started training again, and he’s feeling better.
“They haven’t gone on break yet. I think they will go on the 20th or the 22nd, so he’s still around the team. He’s feeling better now, and I think he has started both gym work and grass training, which is very good for him.
“We’ll see what’s going to happen, but from what I’m hearing and from what the guys at Chippa have said, I think he’s going to be okay. He just needs to keep working, and if he continues like this, he should be ready. I’m confident he will make it in time.”
Nwabali’s availability would be a major boost for Nigeria, especially given his influential role in the Super Eagles’ run to the AFCON final last year.
Nigeria named the former Enyimba star in their provisional squad last week, though head coach Eric Chelle is expected to trim the list to the final 27 players in the coming hours.