Stanley Nwabali: Super Eagles Goalie Faces Backlash After Quitting Club Following AFCON Exploits
- South African icon Motsoeneng Tshepo believes the Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali may struggle to secure a move to the PSL’s top three clubs after leaving Chippa United
- The former goalkeeper highlighted strong competition at Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, and Mamelodi Sundowns, suggesting there is room for Nwabali at any of the clubs
- Nwabali left Chippa United without a deal in place despite having six months left on his contract
The decision by Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to quit South African club Chippa United without a deal in place remains a major talking point.
Nwabali’s request to leave Chippa United was granted by the club on Thursday, February 5, which ended his four-year stay at the club.
Source: Getty Images
His decision came as a surprise to many, as the 29-year-old goalkeeper still had some months left on his contract.
Nwabali leaves Chippa United after AFCON outing
Reports claimed Nwabali opted to leave Chippa United after an impressive outing at the Africa Cup of Nations 2025, hoping to land a move to a bigger club.
However, two weeks later, the Nigerian goalkeeper is still without a new team, and his situation has drawn criticism from former South African goalkeeper Motsoeneng Tshepo.
According to Tshepo, Nwabali could remain clubless for a very long time if he looks to become the first-choice goalkeeper at any of the top three clubs in South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, and Mamelodi Sundowns).
Stanley Nwabali told AFCON form not enough
Speaking to KickOff and as seen on Score Nigeria, Motsoeneng said that Nwabali might have decided to leave Chippa because an agent promised to find him a bigger club in South Africa.
Tshepo said, “If he wants to move to one of the top three teams, where do you think he will go? Kaizer Chiefs have Brandon Petersen, and he is showing this season that he is the right person for the role.
“At Orlando Pirates, there’s Sipho Chaine, who is winning trophies and wants to be included in the Bafana Bafana World Cup team, but he’s behind Ricardo Goss.
“At Mamelodi Sundowns, they have the country’s top player, Ronwen Williams.
“Remember, you sign a foreign goalkeeper to be the number one, but now, when you bring him to Sundowns, what happens to Ronwen? Where will he work alongside the top three? They have no space for Nwabali.”
Source: Getty Images
Motsoeneng believes that Nwabali has not grown past the PSL.
“I don’t think Nwabali has moved beyond the PSL. Chippa are trying to avoid being relegated, and for Nwabali, he had to show at Chippa without any clear doubt that he had grown beyond the PSL.
“He first has to be a really great goalkeeper in the PSL to move past it.
“Since the start of this season, Nwabali’s performance hasn’t been up to the standards expected.
“After returning from the AFCON in Morocco, maybe he thought he would get a new opportunity from another team, but that didn’t happen,” Tshepo said.
Akpan slams Nwabali over Chippa United exit
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that former Nigerian goalkeeper Bassey Akpan has questioned the wisdom behind Stanley Nwabali’s decision to terminate his contract with Chippa United at this stage in the season.
Akpan believes the timing could not be worse, adding that it is risky for a national team player to be without a club immediately after the transfer window has shut.
Source: Legit.ng
