It seems that there were complications regarding the participation of Kassaly Daouda, the goalkeeper for Niger, in the friendly match scheduled in Dakar. Daouda, who plays for Chippa United in South Africa, faced reluctance from his club to release him for international duty.
Letters of summons from the Nigerian Football Federation (FNF) were necessary to convince Chippa United to release Daouda for the friendly match. The situation escalated to the point where the player’s passport was confiscated by the club on Monday, initially preventing him from joining the national team. However, the club eventually changed its stance.
Djibrilla Hamidou, president of the FNF, expressed the difficulties faced in securing Daouda’s release, mentioning that letters were sent to the South African federation and the country’s football league.
Wanda Mbenguzana, the sports director of Chippa United, explained that the initial refusal was attributed to poor treatment by the FNF in the past. Allegedly, Daouda had returned late during a previous reunion with the national team and had also contracted malaria, which reportedly led to frustration among the club’s leadership.
It appears that the release of players for international duty can sometimes be a complex matter, involving negotiations between national federations and clubs, as well as considerations of past experiences and grievances.
