Poor Bissau pitch kept Aina out of Nigeria’s qualifier, team official says

Nigeria defender Ola Aina did not play in the Super Eagles’ 3-0 defeat by Guinea-Bissau because of concerns about the condition of the pitch, team media officer Promise Efoghe has said. Aina was an unused substitute in Tuesday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, while Bright Osayi-Samuel started at right-back. Osayi-Samuel struggled to contain Guinea-Bissau captain Mama Balde, who caused problems with his pace and skill.

Efoghe said the decision to leave Aina out was connected to the defender’s injury history on poor playing surfaces. Aina suffered a hamstring tear during Nigeria’s 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw with South Africa at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein in September 2025. That injury kept him out for several months and, according to the report, effectively ruled him out of AFCON 2025.

Aina was forced off after 10 minutes of the match and did not return to the Super Eagles until his recall this month. “They are very similar. You wonder why Ola Aina could not play the game yesterday.

It is a physiological thing,” Efoghe told News Central TV. He said the earlier injury had taken Aina out of football for almost a year. Efoghe also called for better playing surfaces across African football.

He said stakeholders should address pitch standards if the sport on the continent was to progress and criticised what he described as unfair practices in the game. The report said Aina had also missed Nigeria’s March friendlies against Iran and Jordan as well as the Unity Cup during his absence from the national team. The Super Eagles are scheduled to face Russia in an international friendly on October 6.

The supplied material did not state whether Aina would be available for that match.