The Nigeria Football Federation have pleaded with Nigerians that they should take the omission of Chelsea wing-back Victor Moses from the squad that will face South Africa in good faith.

There are speculations in the media that Moses withdrew from the squad before it was announced at the end of last month because of a dispute with the Federation over unreimbursed flight tickets while traveling to attend Super Eagles games.

''If you read the papers, the coach has given the reasons for dropping him. He said he wants to do an operation on his toe,'' a Nigerian Federation staff told allnigeriasoccer.com.

''I was listening to one of these sport radio programs and they were trying to make fun of Victor Moses, questioning why he didn't do the operation before  he played for Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

''We want to plead with fans, these players need support, there should be no sentiment.

''As a professional player this is where he earns his living. The Chelsea coach must have told him to do an operation before the start of next season.''

The 26-year-old Moses scored two goals in his last appearance for the Super Eagles, a 3-1 win over Algeria in a World Cup qualifier in November 2016.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel