Tosin Adarabioyo, a Chelsea defender, has denied claims that he refused a call-up to represent Nigeria, claiming unequivocally that he has never turned down the opportunity to play for the Super Eagles.
The 27-year-old centre-back clarified the situation in a post-match interview following Chelsea's 4-1 victory over Real Betis in the UEFA Europa Conference League final. Addressing mounting concerns regarding his international future, Adarabioyo stated that prior assertions about his attitude were incorrect.
Both of those pieces of news are quite false. I've never said no to Nigeria. And I've never told them I'm going to Nigeria," he explained. The former Fulham defender, who joined Chelsea at the start of the season, revealed that his recent focus has been on protecting his club career.
He stated that during his final season at Fulham, there were informal discussions but no formal decision was made on international commitments.
"At one point last season, there was some discussion, and I informed them that I just wanted to focus on club football. I was in my final year at Fulham and all I wanted was to have a good run there.
Now I'm in Chelsea. "My first year, which I wanted to focus on again," he said. Adarabioyo, who has represented England at youth levels and is also eligible to play for Nigeria through his parents, hinted that a decision on his international allegiance could be made soon. "And I think now is going to be the time that I need to make a decision," he told reporters.
The player's comments comes as Nigerian football authorities continue to seek eligible diaspora players to strengthen the national squad ahead of key games.