Blow for Nigeria as Striker Victor Boniface Ruled Out of AFCON 2024

Nigeria faces a fresh setback in their Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) 2024 journey, as Bayer Leverkusen’s star striker, Victor Boniface, has been ruled out due to injury. This 23-year-old joins the growing list of Super Eagles players grappling with fitness concerns in the lead-up to the tournament, scheduled to begin on January 13 in Abidjan.

To fill the void left by Boniface, Nice striker Terem Moffi has been called upon, pending approval from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and an agreement with the player’s French Ligue 1 club.

Boniface‘s injury compounds Nigeria’s woes, with notable players like Taiwo Awoniyi of Nottingham Forest and Wilfred Ndidi of Leicester City already sidelined for AFCON 2024. On a positive note, Kelechi Iheanacho, Ndidi‘s Leicester teammate, is expected to join the squad in Ivory Coast after missing the training camp.

The absence of Boniface, who boasted an impressive record of 10 goals and seven assists in the Bundesliga this season, is a substantial setback for Nigeria. The young striker was a strong contender for the Bundesliga Rookie of the Month for the fifth consecutive time.

The injury occurred during Nigeria’s training camp in Abu Dhabi, causing Boniface to miss the Super Eagles’ 2-0 friendly loss to Guinea on Monday. Expressing his disappointment on social media, Boniface had previously missed the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations due to injury.

Nigeria initiates its Afcon 2024 campaign against Equatorial Guinea in a Group A match on January 14. The West African team will also face hosts Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau in the group stage.