Alex Iwobi tests negative for COVID

Alex Iwobi
Alex Iwobi

Super Eagles forward Alex Iwobi has tested negative for COVID-19 after missing Nigeria’s AFCON qualifier against Benin.

A tweet by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Tuesday, however, said the 24-year-old who plays for Everton in the Premier League is now negative.

The tweet said Iwobi “has tested negative after further COVID-19 tests were conducted.”

The former Arsenal player reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus upon arrival in Benin ahead of the showdown between the Super Eagles and the Squirrels.

There were questions about how Iwobi was able to leave England without testing for coronavirus, with one explanation perhaps being that he contracted the illness after arriving in West Africa.

The player had to be withdrawn from the starting lineup just before the Nigerian team headed to the stadium on Saturday.

The NFF, however, insisted it would conduct a second test in Lagos ahead of Tuesday’s qualifier with Lesotho.