Mainz stops Balogun from joining Eagles

German Bundesliga side, Mainz, says they will not allow injured defender, Leon Balogun, to fly to Nigeria and join the Super Eagles in their AFCON qualifiers against Egypt.

Balogun has started his individual recovery plan after picking up a muscular injury days leading up to the clash against Werder Bremen.

According to the Bundesliga club’s official webpage, the stopper trained on Tuesday with Yoshinori Muto and athletics coach, Jonas Grünewald.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is hopeful that Balogun will be available for selection next Tuesday in the reverse fixture against Egypt, but his prospects are bleak, with Mainz stating officially that he will remain in Germany as a result of the injury.

The 27-year-old was called up for the Super Eagles last competitive fixtures, the World Cup qualifiers against Swaziland last November, but pulled out of the squad due to a knee injury.