Nigeria B team midfielder Jide Fatokun has penned a two year deal with Sudanese giants Al-Merrikh from Nigeria Professional Football League side Remo Stars, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Fatokun was one of the stars of the second leg win for the Nigerian B team helping them secure a 3-1 aggregate win over Ghana in the qualifiers. It was the first time the Nigerian team made it to the CHAN tournament since 2018.
He was one of the players who caught the eyes of the newly appointed coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle, and was tipped to train with the main team when they converge for the world cup qualifiers in March.
His move to Sudan could possibly rule him out of the CHAN Championship, which is meant for players playing in their domestic leagues. CHAN serves an important role in African football by giving more exposure to local players and helping boost the development of domestic leagues.
It provides an opportunity for players who may not have the chance to play in international leagues to showcase their talents.
It also allows teams to build cohesion and pride around homegrown talent, which can eventually translate into success at other tournaments like the AFCON or FIFA World Cup.
The tournament was originally billed for next month but was postponed to August by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) due to the lack of readiness of one of the hosts of the tournament.
Daniel Martins
