Int’l Passport issues leaves Arsenal man Nwakali stranded in Nigeria

Arsenal midfielder has been stranded in Nigeria after a passport blunder.

Kelechi Nwakali, 20, returned to his homeland to play in a 2020 Olympics qualifier.

But he was denied entry back to Portugal, where he is currently on loan at Porto.

Nwakali was granted a single-entry visa when he moved there on a season-long loan from Arsenal.

And it has now been a month since he tried returning to Porto.

The Nigeria Football Federation is now working tirelessly to get Nwakali back to Portugal.

Director of communications Ademola Olajire told BBC Sport: “The federation has been working hard to get his visa sorted as quickly as possible, but it’s taken longer than expected.

“We hope it will come out after the Easter break to enable Nwakali’s return to Portugal.”

The midfield ace has missed Porto B’s last four matches as a result of his visa issue.

He joined Arsenal in 2016 after also being chased by Manchester City.

But he is yet to feature for the Gunners, instead playing for Dutch duo VVV-Venlo and MVV Maastricht on loan.

Nwakali was called up to the senior Nigeria squad against Seychelles last August, but he did not feature and is still waiting for his first cap.

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