Nwabali stepped away from football after family tragedies, says agent

Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali temporarily stepped away from football earlier this year to cope with the devastating loss of close family members, his agent, Mohammed Lawal, has revealed.

Nwabali requested to be released from his contract with South African club Chippa United in February as he sought time away from the game.

The Nigeria international had attracted interest from several clubs, including South African giants Kaizer Chiefs and Simba SC, as well as teams in Saudi Arabia, before eventually returning to Chippa United five months later.

According to Lawal, the goalkeeper’s decision was driven by personal circumstances rather than football.

Nwabali suffered the loss of his grandmother, father and mother within a two-month period, with the emotional toll prompting him to step away from the sport to protect his mental well-being.

“It has been very difficult for Stanley,” Lawal told ESPN.

“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. Like everyone else, they go through life’s challenges.”

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Lawal explained that Nwabali also had to shoulder major family responsibilities following the deaths of his parents.

“After losing his parents, he became responsible for everything. There was a lot he needed to take care of.

“As a professional, he knew he had to keep playing, but it was affecting him and if he continued, he was going to destroy himself because when you’re not in the right mental state, it shows.

“You could see it during some of his games for the national team. People probably thought he was fighting with his teammates.”

Lawal said the emotional strain became noticeable during Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying campaign and at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where some supporters misinterpreted the goalkeeper’s behaviour.

“If you look back, you’ll see the difference. Stanley used to be lively and always smiling. During the last AFCON and the World Cup qualifiers, he became unusually aggressive. He was shouting at teammates and confronting opponents. But that wasn’t the real Stanley.

“When he first started playing for Nigeria, everyone talked about how calm he was under pressure. Later, people thought he had become overconfident or aggressive. They didn’t know what was happening inside him.”

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