My club coach asked me to fake injury to avoid representing Nigeria: John Ogu
Super Eagles midfielder John Ogu has joined the list of sports people condemning the inferior treatment of the African football community by the international community.
“The disrespect to Africans and its football tournaments. They don’t rate any of them at all. We have seen so many tournaments FIFA and UEFA already introduced in World football but when it comes to Africa and Africans, it’s always a different case,” Mr Ogu tweeted on Saturday.
In a series of tweets, Mr Ogu expressed his displeasure and narrated how himself while playing in Portugal was told by his coach to lie about having an injury to prevent him from representing Nigeria in an international friendly. When he (Mr Ogu) honoured the match, the coach stopped playing him at the club.
“I’m not even surprised at the situation of them foreign managers or clubs not wanting their players to go represent their country in tournaments. One certain manager in Portugal asked me to tell the coach of Eagles then that I was injured so as not to go for a friendly game.
“After I left, went back to the club, he stopped playing me. And this was prior to the World Cup coming that year. I made mention of it here and many out here said I was lying and so on. Una don see how them be now?
“I missed out at that World Cup list. The evil part of it was when the list came out and he found out I wasn’t invited, man, walk up to me and asked I call the manager to list me and that if he wants, he can start me in the last game in the league,” Mr Ogu said.
Voices have continued to speak against denigrating statements hurled at AFCON and attitude that presents AFCON as inferior to other tournaments in Eurpoe. Last Thursday, Ex-England star, Ian Wright condemned racism and disrespect against the AFCON.
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