At least eight Super Eagles of Nigeria players could be ruled out of the crucial World Cup qualifier against the Benin Republic if they receive another yellow card in Friday’s game against Lesotho.
The Super Eagles players at risk of this include Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, Tolu Arokodare, Stanley Nwabali, Ademola Lookman and Bruno Onyemaechi. All eight have already been booked in previous rounds of the qualifiers.
The three-time African champions look to revive their World Cup qualification campaign under Eric Chelle. They will face Lesotho in South Africa on Friday before returning to Nigeria to face the Benin Republic at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo four days later.
FIFA rules stipulate that any player who receives two yellow cards in separate matches will serve an automatic one-game suspension. That means if any of the eight players are cautioned again, they will miss the high-stakes encounter against Benin.
Other players, including Jamilu Collins, Sodiq Ismail, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Umar Sadiq, are also one booking away from suspension but were not called up for the current fixtures. Osayi-Samuel, in particular, was left out due to injury.
Naija News reports that Nigeria currently sit third in Group C, trailing Benin Republic, who top the table, and second-placed South Africa.
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