Tag: Olisa Ndah

Orlando Pirates have seen another of their centre-backs leave after the departure of Nigeria international Olisa Ndah, who follows hot on the heels of MbekezeIi Mbokazi.

While Mbokazi has gone to Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer, Ndah leaves as a free agent after agreeing to the termination of his contract at the club.

Having done that in the January window, he will be free to join another club of his choice, even after it slams shut at the end of the month.

Ndah has battled for game-time with the emergence of Mbokazi and Lebone Seema, and clearly his long-term prospects were still not good following the exit of the former.

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He made 73 starts and 81 appearances in all for the club, scoring a single goal against SuperSport United in the MTN8 in 2024.

Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou picked Nkosinathi Sibisi and Seema as the centre back pairing against Sekhukhune United last weekend, leaving Ndah out in the cold again.

 “The Nigerian international requested an early release from his contract, a decision that follows careful and respectful discussions between the player and the club’s management,” said a statement from Pirates.

 “Central to these conversations was a shared understanding to afford Ndah the opportunity to secure regular game time elsewhere as he enters the next phase of his career.”

Ndah, 28, joined the Buccaneers in 2021 and quickly established himself as a commanding presence at the heart of defence but he had two serious injuries during this time at the club which saw him lose his place.

Super Eagles and Orlando Pirates centre-back Olisa Ndah has declared his  readiness  for the upcoming season after spending several months sidelined with injury.

Ndah, who has been battling recurring injuries over the past six months, missed the club’s pre-season training camp in Spain. However, after completing an extensive rehabilitation process, the 26-year-old says he is eager to return to competitive action for the Buccaneers.

 “I’m ready to go,” Ndah told eNCA. “It’s been a long time out, and I had to go through a lot of rehab. Honestly, it feels like I’m playing for the first time again because it’s been so long. Just being able to train with the team again has been a great feeling.”

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Ndah expressed how much he missed the matchday experience during his time on the sidelines. “I’ve missed the fans, the stadium atmosphere—everything. Heading into the MTN8, we know how important it is. Every competition matters, but right now, we’re taking things one day at a time.”

Looking ahead to the season, Ndah remains optimistic and focused on success: “I don’t mind winning it over and over again. The feeling never changes. This is a big club with high expectations, and this season, we’re going for everything.”

Orlando Pirates will begin their MTN8 title defence on August 2 with a quarter-final match against Polokwane City at Orlando Stadium.

Recuperating Super Eagles defender, Olisa Ndah has resumed  light training with his club, Orlando Pirates.

The defender returned to light training with Orlando Pirates for the first time since getting injured in October 2024 and he heaved a sigh of relief.

Ndah continued his rehabilitation after suffering from a tibia fracture and he made a step closer to return to full training session with his club.

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It was gathered that an anti-gravity treadmill would assist in Ndah’s mobility and performance training.

Ndah was pictured all smiles as he returned to training in a recent post on Orlando Pirate’s official Twitter page.

Despite not kicking a ball since October last year’s injury, Orlando Pirates still registered the defender for the group stage of the CAF Champions League with the hope that the Nigerian would recover before the end of the group stage.

Super Eagles defender Olisa Ndah featured prominently on the list of the South Africa club Orlando Pirates in the CAF Champions League despite his injury blighted season thus far.

Ahead of the commencement of the group stage of the CAF Champions League, the Confederation of African Football recently released the list of players each club registered for the competition.

Ndah has been out injured for more than a month and has missed several club engagements.

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The injury also derailed his ambition of playing for the Super Eagles in the final round of the 2025 African Cup of Nations qualifier.

Ndah is presently going through rehabilitation but he was not part of the traveling team for the opening group game.

Pirates will face CR Belouzidad of Algeria in the opening group game in the day 1 of the competition.

Super Eagles defender, Olisa Ndah will miss the rest of the year due to injury, his South Africa club announced.

Ndah suffered a fracture of the tibia during a PSL game against Polokwane City, which caused him to miss a 2025 AFCON qualifier against Libya in Uyo last week.

Orlando Pirates announced the player is ruled out for rest of the calendar year.

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“The Bucs medical department has confirmed that the 26-year-old has suffered a tibia fracture,” the club said in a statement.

“Due to the location and nature of the injury, the decision on surgery is not straightforward, but based on this type of injury, Ndah has been ruled out for the rest of the year.”