Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers could come under scrutiny after reportedly stopping Nigerian striker Tolu Arokodare from training with the first team on Monday and Tuesday, despite FIFA’s newly introduced player protection rules designed to curb such practice.
Reports claim Wolves called off Monday’s training session after Arokodare refused to leave the pitch when instructed not to train with the senior squad. On Tuesday, the club allegedly stationed additional security personnel at the Compton Park training ground to stop the 25-year-old from returning.
The incident comes just weeks into the tenure of new manager Cesar Peixoto, who succeeded Rob Edwards following Wolves’ relegation from the Premier League after finishing bottom of the table last season.
Arokodare, who netted six goals in 38 appearances during the previous campaign, has been strongly linked with a move away from Molineux this summer. Italian clubs Genoa and Fiorentina are reportedly among those monitoring his situation.
Fiorentina are also believed to have had a bid turned down earlier this month, while the Nigerian forward reportedly rejected an approach from Turkish side Trabzonspor.
The striker is not expected to feature in Wolves’ pre-season friendly against non-league Maidenhead United on Wednesday, with his exclusion from first-team training widely interpreted as a clear message from the club’s new manager.
The situation has attracted attention because it comes shortly after FIFA introduced significant amendments to its Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players following an agreement with the global players’ union, FIFPRO.
Under the updated regulations, clubs are no longer allowed to isolate players from the first team or place them in so-called “bomb squads” as a tactic to pressure them into accepting transfers.
Explaining the reforms, FIFPRO said, “Players will be better protected from abusive practices. Demoting players, forcing them to train in isolation as a form of pressure, withholding passports or abusing registration procedures are now expressly prohibited. These practices have affected too many players for too long and have no place in modern football.”
Wolves have bolstered their squad ahead of the new Championship campaign with the free-transfer arrivals of Kieran Trippier and Raúl Jiménez, while Rafiki Said joined for a reported £7.7 million.
The club also completed the permanent signing of defender Ladislav Krejčí after his successful loan spell, taking their total summer spending to about £26 million.
