Ola Aina Sat Out Bissau Because Of The Pitch

Sports

Abuja · Thursday 1 October 2026

Ola Aina was an unused substitute against Guinea-Bissau because the poor state of the pitch in Bissau raised fears that his hamstring problem could return, according to the Super Eagles media officer Promise Efoghe.

football pitch grass bumpy uneven Photograph by Josiah Day via Unsplash.

Protecting a player, losing a game

Aina has had hamstring trouble before, and a hard, uneven surface is exactly the kind of ground that causes soft-tissue injuries. Keeping him out protected his club season and his availability for November. It also removed one of Nigeria's most reliable defenders from a game in which the defence conceded three.

What the pitch did	To whom
Kept a first-choice defender on the bench	Nigeria
Disrupted short passing and ball control	Nigeria
Suited direct running and pace	Guinea-Bissau

Both teams played on the same grass. Only one built its plan around it.

The uncomfortable part. Premium Times noted that the surface hurt Nigeria's passing but that the home side adapted better. A pitch can explain a bad bounce. It cannot explain three goals, and blaming it too loudly is the kind of excuse that former coach Jo Bonfrere has already called stupid.

Every away team in Africa knows the pitch might be bad. The good ones prepare for it.

November is at home

The Tanzania game on 13 November is in Uyo, on a surface Nigeria know. If Aina is fit he should start. The return in Dar es Salaam four days later will raise the same question about conditions, and the answer this time should be a plan rather than a bench.

Reporting: Legit.ng, Daily Post, AllNigeriaSoccer and Premium Times.

Read next

• Eguavoen Has Called Up 28 Super Falcons For Comoros
• Edo Queens Won On Penalties, And CAF Says The Referee Skipped Extra Time
• Tinubu Says Nigeria Has Crossed Its Red Sea

If you argue about Nigerian football for a living, you may as well dress like it. Caps and tees are in the TalkTalkNigeria store, and Naira pricing is here.