Recreativo Vs Rangers: Mba Dropped At Airport

Rangers flew out to Angola for a CAF Champions League match on Thursday without Super Eagles attacker Sunday Mba and Emeka Ezeh. Both players were dropped from the team to the southern African country due to problems with their travelling documents.

Both players were on the final 18-man squad for this Saturday’s Champions League third round second leg match against Recreativo Libolo, but they were dropped at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos after they could not secure the release of their passports from the German Embassy to enable them to travel to Angola.

Midfielder Ezeh spoke with MTNFootball.com shortly after the other players left for Angola. “Mba and I did not travel with the rest of the squad to Angola because the German Embassy in Lagos refused to release our passports for us to travel with it. I’m on my way back to Enugu now.”

Both players were

among the 12 players from the Nigeria Premier League who last week applied for visas to Germany ahead of a Super Eagles training camp in Germany, which begins on May 16.

Mba, who was prominent with the South Africa 2013 tournament, was set to finally make his Rangers debut this weekend after a protracted transfer haggle between Rangers and Warri Wolves. The struggle for ownership has meant that the attacker was yet to play club football since the continental championship ended in February. The clash between the clubs had also included Eagles goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim but that was settled faster than that of Mba who is expected to command quality transfer deal in the international market following his exploit in South Africa.

Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi had threatened to drop him from the national team if the issues between the clubs were not quickly settled for the player to resume active football.

In a desperate last-minute change for Rangers, defender Ekene Iwuorie was added to the squad that finally flew out to Angola.

Rangers, Nigeria’s only surviving club on the continent this year, were held to a goalless draw in the first leg in Enugu about a fortnight ago. They need to work extra hard to overcome the Angolans and move to the next stage.

The winners of this encounter will advance to the group phase of the Champions League.