Chippa United head coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi has spoken out on Stanley Nwabali’s surprise exit from the Betway Premiership side a few days ago.
The highly-rated goalkeeper parted ways with Chippa, bringing an end to his successful stint with the Eastern Cape-based side. Nwabali is fresh from participating in the 2025 AFCON with Nigeria, which Senegal went on to win against the host nation, Morocco.
In the mouth-watering AFCON, Nwabali played a major role in helping Nigeria clinch the bronze medal after finishing third.
Meanwhile, Nwabali won his second AFCON medal, having walked away with silver after Nigeria suffered defeat in the final of the 2023 Nations Cup to Ivory Coast, who won the prestigious competition on home soil.
At club level, the talented shotstopper had established himself as the undisputed first-choice goalie at Chippa. Nwabali’s consistent performances saw him attract interest from teams such as Kaizer Chiefs, amongst many others.
Since arriving at Chippa in 2022, the 29-year-old featured in 76 appearances across all competitions. He conceded 85 goals and kept 25 clean sheets.
WHAT VUSUMUZI VILAKAZI SAID ABOUT NWABALI
His coach, Vusumuzi Vilakazi, has spoken out about the abrupt exit, stating that the decision was made between the player and the chairman, Chippa Mpengesi. The former Richards Bay FC mentor further revealed that they would look for another goalkeeper if needed.
“It is a blow [losing Nwabali] for us, looking at how Stanley did in Morocco. He’s a super keeper, but obviously with his decisions I’m not involved in that,” Vilakazi said.
“So it was a discussion between him and the chairman, and they’ve agreed. I will only work with people who are in the system. If there is a need for us to look for a goalkeeper so that the competition can be high, we’ll do so.”
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