Iran war traps Moses in Dubai

Iran war traps Moses in Dubai

Former Nigeria national football team winger has been left stranded in Dubai after tensions of the Iran conflict disrupted air travel in the Middle East, delaying his arrival at FC Kaisar.

Victor Moses

The Kazakhstan Premier League side confirmed that Moses and fellow Nigerian forward Imoh Ezekiel both missed their season opener against FK Zhenys on March 8 due to the travel complications.

Moses had been preparing to return to Kazakhstan to join his new club when a rocket reportedly landed near an airport in the region, forcing the closure of surrounding airspace and the suspension of several flights, including routes heading towards Kazakhstan.

As a result, the former Chelsea winger has been unable to leave Dubai, preventing him from linking up with his teammates ahead of the new league campaign.

FC Kaisar head coach Andrey Ferapontov said the club were monitoring the situation while awaiting the arrival of both Nigerian players.

“We’re expecting two more foreign players. You’re probably familiar with the situation with Moses and Ezekiel,” Ferapontov said in comments reported by Vesti.

“For various reasons, they couldn’t make it to the championship. Moses can’t fly out of Dubai due to the political situation.”

“We’re waiting for him. When they rejoin, we’ll have a full squad, and we’ll have a good idea of their fitness.”

Moses joined FC Kaisar in January on a one-year contract following his departure from Luton Town, adding another chapter to a career that has spanned more than a decade across Europe.

The 35-year-old began his professional journey with Crystal Palace before moving to Wigan Athletic and later signing for Chelsea in 2012, where he won the Premier League title in the 2016/17 season.

He also spent time on loan at Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham United, as well as spells abroad with Fenerbahçe, Inter Milan and Spartak Moscow.

Internationally, Moses earned 38 caps for Nigeria between 2012 and 2018, scoring 12 goals and playing a key role in the country’s triumph at the Africa Cup of Nations 2013.

His compatriot Ezekiel, who was part of Nigeria’s squad that won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, is also expected to join FC Kaisar after leaving Albanian club KF Pogradeci.

The Kazakhstan club, based in Kyzylorda, are among the founding members of the Kazakhstan Premier League and are hoping the arrival of the experienced Nigerian players will strengthen their squad once the travel situation stabilises.