Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho remained conspicuously absent from the pre-match press conference leading up to the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final against South Africa, underscoring the ongoing discord with head coach Jose Peseiro.
Iheanacho has yet to make an appearance during the current tournament in Ivory Coast. Peseiro had attributed his limited playing time to ongoing recovery from injury. Notably, other players like Terem Moffi, Ahmed Musa, Bruno Onyemaechi, among others, have also not been featured.
Despite the announcement by CAF that Iheanacho would join Peseiro for the press conference ahead of the clash against Bafana Bafana, the player was notably absent. Ola Aina, instead, took the stage to field questions.
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According to Soccernet, Iheanacho’s absence from the press conference is linked to his dissatisfaction with the minimal playing time he has received during the tournament, despite the initial schedule indicating his participation alongside coach Peseiro.
Speculations suggest that Peseiro may be encountering challenges incorporating Iheanacho into his preferred 3-4-3 system, with indications of a preference for defensive substitutes over attacking ones during games.