Nigeria and Chippa United goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has finally broken his silence on reports he could be facing threats when he returns to South Africa.
The 27-year-old has shot to fame following his stellar performances at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast.
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Perhaps his biggest contribution at the tournament came when he effectively denied Bafana Bafana a spot in the final after he saved two penalties to give his country a 4-2 penalty shootout win in the semi-finals.
It has since been suggested that this has not gone down well with some supporters in South Africa, with the shot-stopper having been urged to leave the DStv Premiership by former CAF Appeal Committee president Mazi Amanze Uchegbulam.
Nwabali, though, appears to be unperturbed by talk that he should not return to Mzansi.
"I must go back to my club, but talking about the threats, this is football," the Super Eagles star said at an event hosted by Nigeria president Bola Ahmed Tinubu following their run to the final, according to BluePrint.
"You can't threaten someone because they also won some other teams too.
"How about if those they beat decided to keep threatening your players, would it make sense?
"It's football, I don't think there's anything attached to it. Maybe it was just someone writing on social media.
"It's cool to me because I spoke to my [Chippa United] chairman three days ago, but he didn't say anything like all that stuff.
"So, he felt like, 'No, it's cool, you can come back'.
"I must go back to my club because they owe me."
Nwabali's return to Chippa could be short-lived as there are reports of serious interest in his services.
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Among a number of other teams, Belgian top-flight side Union Saint-Gilloise are keen to make a move for the Super Eagle, according to Nigeria Soccernet.
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