Nwabali psychologically down – Chippa United coach
By Olaolu Joseph
Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali is grieving the loss of his parents, which may have contributed to his South African club Chippa United’s recent league defeat, according to coach Thabo September.
Last Saturday, Chippa United lost 1-0 to TS Galaxy in the Betway Premiership, with many blaming Nwabali’s error for the match-winning goal.
The Super Eagles shot-stopper attempted a quick throw to a teammate after making an initial save but instead gifted possession to Damir Sosvic, who capitalized on the mistake.
Chippa United coach Thabo September admitted that insisting Nwabali play may have backfired.
“Where we lost it, maybe it’s from the bench—from me, from the coaching side—because my goalkeeper pleaded with me that he was not okay and wanted to rest,” the coach told FarPost.
“He’s going through a lot. Being the number one goalkeeper, I pushed him and said he must play. Sometimes you must listen. For me as a coach, I’m still growing in that regard.”
Despite the costly mistake, the coach praised Nwabali’s overall performance.
“He didn’t have much to do, maybe towards the end when we made mistakes and were chasing the game. But other than that, he did very well,” he remarked.
