Stanley Nwabali says he is not worried about reclaiming the Super Eagles No.1 spot and remains focused on helping Chippa United.
The Super Eagles goalkeeper returned to Chippa United after spending several months without competitive football. Since then, Nwabali has returned to the starting XI and focused on his club duties.
“I’m not really worried about that one; I’m only focused on helping my club pick up as many points as possible.”
Meanwhile, Maduka Okoye has returned to action for Udinese after recovering from injury. Okoye featured in Udinese’s 1-0 Coppa Italia win over Padova.
Nwabali became Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. The Chippa United star saved two penalties during Nigeria’s semi-final shootout against South Africa as the Super Eagles reached the final.
He also played at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where he earned the Man of the Match award against Egypt after saving penalties from Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush.
However, Nwabali spent several months away from competitive club football before returning to Chippa United.
The goalkeeper welcomed his return to the South African club and described Chippa United as home.
“Coming back to this club feels like I’m coming back to my family and my home.”
Nwabali then started Chippa United’s league campaign, including the club’s 3-0 defeat to Orlando Pirates.
Gamphani Lungu opened the scoring before Lebone Seema doubled Orlando Pirates’ lead. Daniel Msendami added the third goal late in the match.
Despite the defeat, Nwabali made several saves for Chippa United.
The goalkeeper now wants to help Chippa United collect points rather than focus on the Super Eagles goalkeeper competition.
For Nigeria, Okoye’s return adds competition for the No.1 position, while Nwabali continues to push for a place in Eric Chelle’s starting XI.
