Stanley Nwabali's Chippa United exit a misstep, says former Nigeria teammate William Troost-Ekong

Nwabali had been a mainstay for both the Chilli Boys and Nigeria the past few years after establishing himself in the South African top-flight.

His performances for the Super Eagles at both the 2023 and 2025 Africa Cup of Nations earned him praise across the continent.

Following the most recent tournament, Nwabili decided to terminate his Chippa contract, some four months before it was due to expire.

He had hoped to move on to greener pastures, with the Chilli Boys perennial league strugglers, but he has been left without a club over the past few months and has now lost his place in the Nigeria team.

"Obviously I can't speak for Stanley, but based on how things have unfolded now, maybe it would've been a better decision to remain with Chippa," said the Al Ahli defender, who recently retired from international duty.

"That's me speaking from the outside because, of course, we don't know what occurred between him and the club. It's a difficult one. I think seeing Stanley's rise over the last years has been amazing.

"I think he's been the soldier we need for the national team. He had a fantastic AFCON twice in a row, which is very difficult to do."

"I think probably the situation hasn't been favourable for him because I think the time he terminated his contract with the club was outside the transfer window, which made it very difficult for him to find a new club," added Troost-Ekong.

"So, it's been tough. I've spoken to Stanley a lot as well. I know he's been training, keeping fit. Hopefully there's going to be a good opportunity that comes his way now in the summer."