‘Aina didn’t play vs G-Bissau due to pitch’

File: Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina

Super Eagles media officer, Promise Efoghe, has explained that fitness concerns tied to the state of the pitch in Bissau were behind Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina’s absence from Nigeria’s 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in Tuesday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Aina, who returned to the Super Eagles squad this month, was an unused substitute as Birmingham City defender Bright Osayi-Samuel started at right-back against the Djurtus.

Osayi-Samuel endured a difficult evening, struggling to contain Guinea-Bissau captain, Mama Balde, who used his pace and skill to cause problems for the Nigerian defence.

Efoghe linked the decision to Aina’s history of injury on similarly poor playing surfaces, recalling the hamstring tear the defender suffered on the pitch at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein during Nigeria’s 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw with South Africa in September 2025.

That injury kept Aina out of action for several months and effectively cost him involvement at AFCON 2025.

“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.

“Remember, it was on a bad pitch against South Africa that Ola Aina picked up an injury that took him out of football for almost one year.”

Efoghe also used the opportunity to call for improved standards across African football, urging stakeholders to address the state of playing surfaces on the continent.

“We should stop all these dark arts in African football. If we want the game to progress on the continent, we should do things right,” he added.

Aina was forced off after only 10 minutes of the South Africa qualifier and did not feature for the Super Eagles again until his recall this month, a gap of more than a year that also saw him left out of the March friendlies against Iran and Jordan and the Unity Cup.

The Super Eagles will now look to put the disappointing result in Bissau behind them when they face Russia in an international friendly scheduled for October 6.