Aina missed match against Guinea-Bissau due to pitch issues

Super Eagles media officer, Promise Efoghe, explained that Ola Aina did not play in Nigeria’s 3-0 loss to Guinea-Bissau due to worries about the pitch in Bissau. Aina, who rejoined the Super Eagles this month, was on the bench while Bright Osayi-Samuel from Birmingham City played at right-back.

Osayi-Samuel had a tough time, struggling to handle Guinea-Bissau captain, Mama Balde. Balde's speed and skill made it hard for the Nigerian defense.

Efoghe said the choice to keep Aina out was linked to his past injuries on bad pitches. He remembered how Aina had a hamstring injury on the field in Bloemfontein during Nigeria’s 1-1 World Cup qualifier against South Africa in September 2025.

That injury sidelined Aina for months and stopped him from playing in 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 called for better standards in African football. He urged those in charge to fix the 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 left the match against South Africa after just 10 minutes and did not play for the Super Eagles again until this month. This was a gap of over a year that also saw him miss the March friendlies against Iran and Jordan, as well as the Unity Cup.

The Super Eagles now aim to move past the disappointing result in Bissau as they prepare to face Russia in an international friendly set for October 6.