AFCON 2025: Nigeria on collision course with FC Porto over Zaidu Sanusi

Nigeria and FC Porto appear set for a late-hour standoff over the availability of Super Eagles left-back Zaidu Sanusi ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports.

Sanusi, a near-certain starter for Nigeria and one of the most trusted defenders in the team, has already been informed of his inclusion in the final AFCON squad for Morocco 2025. But despite the confirmation, Porto are attempting to keep the defender for one last domestic assignment before releasing him to national duty.

The AFCON kicks off on 21 December, but FIFA’s shifting stance on release dates has created a ripple of confusion. Initially, African players were due to be available to their national teams from 10 December. However, after intense lobbying from top European clubs, FIFA pushed the mandatory release window to 15 December, leaving coaches with drastically reduced preparation time.

For Nigeria, the impact has been immediate: the opening of the Super Eagles’ camp has been moved from 10 December to 15 December, while a scheduled friendly against Egypt has been downgraded to a closed-door practice match and shifted from the 14th to the 16th.

And now, Porto have added yet another layer of uncertainty.

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Nigeria: NFF under pressure as Porto request exception for Cup tie

According to OneFootball, FC Porto have formally contacted the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to request permission to retain Sanusi until 18 December, when they face Famalicão in the Portuguese Cup.

The club argue that Nigeria’s opening AFCON fixture, against Tanzania on 23 December, gives enough leeway for the defender to join camp slightly later.

From a professional standpoint, the NFF may find themselves tempted to accept. Sanusi has battled injuries in the past year, and Porto’s concern is that missing a key cup match could dent his rhythm. But agreeing to the request may leave Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle with barely a week to integrate one of his starting defenders into tactical preparations.

Sanusi remains Nigeria’s first-choice left-back, just as he was at AFCON 2023 when the team reached the final. His role is expected to be even more significant this time, with group matches against Tanzania (23 December), Tunisia and Uganda demanding defensive stability and attacking progression from wide areas. 

Olympiacos defender Bruno Onyemaechi is the other alternative available to Chelle, with Werder Bremen full-back Felix Agu set to miss the AFCON due to injury, despite Victor Boniface's claims to the contrary.