TP Mazembe Converts Ex Nigerian U17 Goalkeeper to Striker Amid FIFA Ban
- Congolese club TP Mazembe has unconventionally converted a former Nigerian U17 goalkeeper to a striker
- The five-time CAF Champions League winners made the decision due to a FIFA ban on transfer activities
- The club confirmed that the former Golden Eaglets star volunteered because he scores in training
A former Nigerian U17 goalkeeper has been converted to a striker by Congolese club Tout Puissant Mazembe, TP Mazembe, in the wake of a shortage of players.
TP Mazembe is the first-ever and most successful sports club in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 39 titles, including five CAF Champions League.
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They are record winners of Linafoot, the Congolese Ligue 1, with 20 top-flight titles and have held a duopoly in the league with 15-time champions AS Vita Club since 2009.
TP Mazembe converts U17 GK
Former Golden Eaglets goalkeeper Suleman Shaibu plays for the Congolese club, having joined in 2021, two years after representing Nigeria at the 2019 Africa U17 Cup of Nations.
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As noted in an official match report, Shaibu played as a striker in Mazembe’s 3-0 win, replacing 22-year-old Congolese forward John Bakata in the 65th minute.
Head coach Lamine Ndiaye confirmed that the decision was made after the Nigerian volunteered to help the club during this difficult period.
“Shaibu is a Mazembe player, he volunteered himself, wanting to help the team during this difficult period we are going through. In training, he scores goals. It takes time to adapt, but he will be able to do good things,” he said.
According to SABC Sport, the three-time CAF Super Cup winners are under a FIFA ban, which prohibits them from registering new players for three windows.
The ban, which took effect from June 12, was placed on the clubs for history of contractual breaches. It also affects other African powerhouses, including Esperance and Zamalek.
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