By Monica Iheakam
Abia Warriors coach, Imama Amakpakabo is in cloud nine over the national team call up of his defender Adeleke Adekunle.
The Nigeria Football Federation @thenff confirmed that Adekunle has been handed a late invite to replace CD Leganese player, Kenneth Omeruo for this month’s AFCON 2021 qualifying double header against Benin Republic and Lesotho.
Omeruo was stopped from the qualifiers by his Spanish Segunda Division club Leganes as a result of travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Reacting to the news, Amapakabo, described the move by Rohr to look in the direction of the Abia Warriors player as a big moral booster.
“It is a big booster, personally I am happy when a team player gets a call up to the national team.
“It is a reward of hard work, whatever you are doing, give in all your best because someone somewhere is watching and taking note of it,” Amapakabo said.
Adekunle now joined Enyimba’s John Noble and Anayo Iwuala as the three local based players in the squad.
With Omeruo, the list of foreign based players that have dropped out the qualifiers has risen to four as Moses Simon of Nantes (France), Samuel Kalu of Bordeaux (France) and Sadiq Umar of Almeria (Spain) had earlier been excused from the team.
