Sierra Leone captain Umaru Bangura has been passed fit to face the Super Eagles of Nigeria in their crucial Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
Bangura was not part of Sierra Leone’s squad to face Nigeria initially owing to fitness worries, and he was recently cleared of Covid-19.
The FC Zurich defender will now travel with the team to Benin City, Nigeria as they hope to get their Cameroon 2022 hopes back alive with a victory against Nigeria.
Bangura’s return will see Vasalund IF of Sweden’s star Ishmael Koroma leave the team.
“I have decided to continue playing for my country after I spoke to my family, the Sierra Leone FA and government officials as well as other key stakeholders in football,” Bangura said.
“I love my country; I have put everything behind me now and my focus now is to qualify Leone Stars to the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.”
Bangura rescinded his retirement from the national team in September 2019 after his house was vandalized by angry fans in Freetown after he missed a penalty against Liberia in Sierra Leone’s 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
His dying minute penalty was saved by Liberia’s goalkeeper Ashley Williams as Sierra Leone lost 3-2 on aggregate.
Bangura moved to FC Zurich from Dinamo Minsk in 2016, and he played in 14 Super League games in the 2019-2020 season, with the team finishing seventh in the league.
FC Zurich currently sit fourth in the league with 10 points from six games, with Bangura yet to play a single game.
With Bangura now included in the Leone Stars team, SN Polten of Austria midfielder George Davies will be unavailable to feature in the first game against Nigeria owing to an injury he sustained in his club.
