The truth behind Nwabali’s return to Chippa United despite transfer rumours has been revealed.
Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, nearly quit football altogether while grieving the loss of both his parents, his representative, Mohammed Lawal, has revealed, months after the player’s surprise departure from South African Premiership side Chippa United.
Glamtush recalls that Nwabali lost his mother, Grace, and father, Chief Godspower Nwabali, within weeks of each other around November 2024 and January 2025, having also lost his grandmother shortly before.
The goalkeeper continued playing through the period, including for Nigeria at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, before leaving Chippa United by mutual consent in February, without either party publicly explaining the decision at the time.
Lawal told ESPN that the toll of the tragedies eventually became too much for the player to continue without a break.
“It has been very difficult for Stanley. People don’t always know what is going on with these players.
They only see them on the field. They know them as footballers, but they don’t know that they are human beings too,” Lawal said.
He said the strain affected Nwabali’s temperament during the period, including at the Nations Cup and during World Cup qualifiers, when the goalkeeper appeared unusually aggressive towards teammates and opponents.
“If you look back, you will see the difference. Stanley used to be lively and always smiling. During the last AFCON and the World Cup qualifiers, he became unusually aggressive. But that was not the real Stanley,” Lawal said.
According to Lawal, those close to the player eventually urged him to step away before the situation caused lasting damage to his career, a decision the goalkeeper took on his own terms and kept private at the time.
“We told him, ‘This is not you. Take time away before you do permanent damage to your career.’ It was not something he and the club planned together. Stanley simply realised he needed to step away, and he asked to be released,” Lawal said.
Lawal dismissed suggestions that Nwabali’s time out of the game was due to a lack of transfer offers, stating that the goalkeeper turned down interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia, England and elsewhere in Africa while he took time to recover.
“There was serious interest from Saudi Arabia, Africa and even England, but once we explained the situation, they understood,” Lawal said.
“Stanley decided to stay out of the game for a few months and get himself in order.
“He maintained a good relationship with Chippa United. The chairman understood his situation because Stanley explained everything. At Chippa, everyone knows him. That gives him the best chance to get back to the level he was at before.”
Chippa United confirmed Nwabali’s return in a statement, welcoming the 30-year-old back to the Eastern Cape ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, which the club begin four points above the relegation zone from last season. His return is also expected to boost Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle, with the goalkeeper set to resume regular competitive football after missing Nigeria’s last four matches, including friendlies against Poland and Portugal.
