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Four pull out of Nigeria's Turkish Women's Cup squad as CSKA Moscow replace Zambia
Some players will not be able to represent the country at the women's competition after withdrawing for varying reasons
Four players have pulled out of Nigeria's 23-woman squad for the 2021 Turkish Women's Cup in Alanya, Goal can exclusively report.
The affected players are Atletico Madrid striker Rasheedat Ajibade, Paris FC goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, SL Benfica midfielder Christy Ucheibe and Eskilstuna United midfielder Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene.
The unfortunate development is coming 48 hours after the Nigeria Football Federation released their team's roster on Thursday.
On reasons for pulling out, Goal understands Ajibade and Ucheibe's withdrawal are due to administrative reasons, while Okobi-Okeoghene and Nnadozie were exempted on health grounds.
The setback has left coach Randy Waldrum racing against time to find replacements, with his initial 23-woman list now reduced to 19.
As it stands, coach Waldrum will be hoping for a last-minute replacements, considerably foreign-based to fill the void left by the four players in the squad.
Meanwhile, CSKA Moscow will take the place of Zambia in Group A following the African nation's withdrawal from the event on Tuesday.
The development means the Super Falcons will now face the Russian champions on February 18, before taking on Ubezkistan on February 20 and Equatorial Guinea three days later in Alanya.
The Nigeria-based contingents are scheduled to depart the country on Sunday and expected to arrive in Turkey on Monday, February 15.
Waldrum will meet with the team for the first time since his engagement last October and will hope for a title-winning start in charge of the African champions in Turkey.
