Russian-Born Idowu Obtains Nigerian Passport, Cleared To Represent Eagles At World Cup

Published: May 24, 2018

Amakar Perm defender Brian Idowu has obtained a Nigerian passport, paving the way for him to represent the Super Eagles at the 2018 World Cup in his country of birth, Russia.

Brian's dad is a Nigerian while his mom has dual nationality and hails from Imo State, South Eastern Nigeria.

It is not illegal for Idowu to obtain a Nigerian passport but he must inform the Russian authorities within 60 days of receiving the document.

''Brian Idowu already has a Nigerian passport, even before we played Argentina in November in a friendly, '' a top source told allnigeriasoccer.com.

''He has had it a long time ago, it expired and he got it renewed.''

Fifa's 2018 World Cup regulations state that the only document considered to be valid proof of a player’s identity and nationality shall be a passport that explicitly states the player’s day, month and year of birth.

Identity cards or other supporting official documents shall not be accepted as a valid means of identification.

Nigeria will face Argentina on June 26, 2018 in Saint Petersburg, and it is thought that the locals will be rooting for one of their own, Brian Idowu, who was born in the city.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel