Super Eagles: Trabzonspor star handed two-match suspension by UEFA

Super Eagles defender Chibuike Nwaiwu has been handed a two-match suspension by UEFA following his red card in Trabzonspor’s Europa League play-off first-leg defeat to Ferencváros, Soccernet.ng reports.

Nwaiwu was shown a straight red card in the sixth minute of stoppage time as Trabzonspor suffered a 1-0 home defeat to the Hungarian champions last Thursday.

Kristoffer Zachariassen scored the only goal of the game in the 17th minute, leaving Trabzonspor needing to overturn a one-goal deficit in Thursday’s return leg in Hungary.

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The Nigerian defender’s dismissal has now brought an additional setback, with UEFA ruling that he will miss two European matches. His suspension means Nwaiwu will sit out the decisive second leg against Ferencváros and, should the Turkish Cup winners progress, their next European fixture as well.

Tekke rues Nwaiwu red card after Trabzonspor defeat

Trabzonspor head coach Fatih Tekke admitted that Nwaiwu’s dismissal made an already difficult situation harder for his side.

The Turkish coach described the defeat and the Nigerian’s red card as the two major setbacks from the first leg.

“There are two casualties tonight. One, of course, lose 1-0, and Chibuike Nwaiwu gets a red card,” the 48-year-old said in quotes revealed by Gazete Pencere.

Still, the coach felt the scoreline did not reflect Trabzonspor’s performance, arguing that his team created enough opportunities to have taken a different result from the match.

“When you look at it as a game, maybe the score should be different. We played high tempo. They've come to our second half once.”

The Black Sea Storm boss remains confident that his side can overturn the deficit despite losing Nwaiwu for the return fixture.

“Our work has become a little more difficult, but it's not impossible.”

Tekke’s comments underline the importance of Nwaiwu’s absence, but also shows confidence in his team's ability to turn things around when they face Ferencvaros today at the Groupama Arena in Budapest.

Chibuike Nwaiwu to miss crucial Europa League fixtures

Nwaiwu’s two-match suspension comes at a difficult point in Trabzonspor’s European campaign.

If Trabzonspor complete the comeback and qualify for the league phase, the Nigerian will also miss their opening fixture in that stage.

The 23-year-old has become a regular option for Trabzonspor since joining from Austrian side Wolfsberger in January and has already made two Süper Lig appearances this season, but has come under a lot of scrutiny for his performances and has to pick himself up quickly if he's to make Chelle's squad for the AFCON 2027 qualifiers next month.