Ola Aina Cleared for Eagles

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Hull City right back, Ola Aina, is likely going to make his debut for Nigeria tomorrow when Eagles take on the Indomitable Lions in the reverse fixture of The World Cup 2018 qualifier.

THISDAY learnt in Uyo saturday that the player was cleared by FIFA for international switch few hours to Friday’s match with Cameroon.

Aina would have played in the Match-day 3 but for Gernot Rohr’s insistence not to disrupt his game plan for the invading Lions.

The player whose full name is Temitayo Olufisayo Olaoluwa Aina was born of Nigerian parents on October 8 1996 in Southwark England but had featured for England at youth level.

He was in England’s U-16 team in the 2011/12 season with which he played six matches and moved on to play 11 times for the U-17 side in 2012/13.

Aina later played a match for England’s U-18 and 13 games for the U-19 team from 2013 to 2015. Up till last year, he was in England’s U-20 side.

However, five days after Nigeria played 1-1 with Senegal in a friendly match, NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, met him and Chuba Akpom of Arsenal ostensibly to persuade him on international switch.

It worked. In May, Aina pledged his international future to Nigeria and reportedly obtained a Nigerian passport. There and then, the process of changing his international status began with FIFA.

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