Babayaro´s Portsmouth trial on hold following malaria scare

Nigeria defender Celestine Babayaro has been forced to put his Portsmouth trial on hold after catching malaria during a trip to Africa.

Babayaro, 29, contracted the disease in Nigeria before training with Portsmouth last week in a bid to earn a permanent move to the FA Cup winners following his release from Newcastle.

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp admitted the deal has been put on ice because Babayaro has gone into a London hospital for treatment.

“It’s awful for the lad, he’s got malaria at the moment after picking it up while back home,” Redknapp told The News.

“He didn’t feel that great last week but he did alright. We have done a lot of physical training and he performed okay.

“But he’s not with us at the moment. He’s in a Chelsea hospital recovering. For his own sake I hope he recovers, we wish the lad all the best.

“Nothing will be happening on the football front at the moment, we’ve just got to wait for him to get better, and I really hope he does.”