Rohr stops Benin Republic striker from playing against Super Eagles (he is Nigerian)

Samson Akinyoola has not been included in Benin Republic’s squad for their upcoming AFCON qualifier against Nigeria’s Super Eagles due to the complexities of his Nigerian roots, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Akinyoola, 24, was born in the Nigerian city of Lagos, where he began his football career playing for 36 Lions, before taking his business to Venezuela, where he represented Caracas FC.

He moved to Egyptian giants Zamalek two years ago and subsequently received his first call-up to the senior Benin Republic squad, where he has made two appearances, but it looks like it will be a while before he can add to that tally.

Benin national team coach Gernot Rohr has left him out of his squad due to a lack of clarity over his international status and whether he is actually eligible to play for Benin.

Rohr is said to be fearful of a possible deduction if the striker, who is currently embroiled in a contract dispute with Zamalek, plays against the Super Eagles. His attempt to get help from sources at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has not yielded any results.

The coach who led the Super Eagles for a period of almost seven years is not sure the problem will be solved anytime soon and will prefer to use players who do not have such problems against Nigeria on September 7 in Uyo.

Mohamed Mowiz Suleiman