Orban’s strong Turkey form fails to resolve Nigeria eligibility uncertainty

Gift Orban’s strong start to the Turkish Super Lig season has renewed questions about whether he will play for Nigeria, but his eligibility remains unresolved in the supplied material. The Amedspor striker has scored seven goals and is joint-top of the league’s scoring chart with Trabzonspor’s Mohamed Salah. Nigeria forward Victor Osimhen is listed with six goals.

Orban’s last involvement with the Super Eagles came in 2023, when coach José Peseiro called him up for a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against São Tomé and Príncipe. He trained with the squad but did not play, with the Nigeria Football Federation citing an injury. Sources later said the NFF had received a petition from the Togolese Football Federation questioning Orban’s eligibility.

The supplied report says no publicly available official record has substantiated that allegation, while Orban has denied representing Togo. Orban was born in Benue State to a Nigerian father and Togolese mother and spent parts of his upbringing in both countries. He has said that he wanted to play for Nigeria, not Togo.

An NFF source told the report that the federation had acted cautiously because it did not want to risk fielding him if another petition emerged. The source also said the issue was not necessarily a change of association. Reports that the matter has been cleared could not be independently verified on FIFA’s Change of Association Platform.

FIFA’s updated guidance considers nationality, descent, residence and previous international participation, and says nationality alone may not establish the required connection in some cases.