How Negative Publicity Ruined My Ambition - Former Super Eagle Emeka Ezeugo

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Former Super Eagles defensive midfielder, Emeka Ezeugo may not need much introduction in football circle. He made history with the senior national team for being in the squad that qualified Nigeria for her first World Cup appearance in USA in 1994. He rose to the pinnacle of his football career, enjoyed fame and publicity. But today he detests negative publicity like poison saying it has cost him fortunes. This much he said among other sundry issues in this interview.    Eagles’ bonus row It was an unfortunate incident. That should not have happened in the first place because of the timing. The damage was quite enormous at the international level. But thank God, the presidency had waded into the matter. I think it was the president’s intervention that brought calm into the situation and further saved the nation from further embarrassment. On the issue of the players’ refusal to wear Adidas boots provided by the Nigeria Football Federation, I don’t think the players had erred in anyway because some of them might have personal endorsement with other outfits. So, you can’t blame them out rightly for that. For instance, when I was playing I had an endorsement from Adidas to wear their boot but my club signed a contract with NIKE. I think what the NFF needs to do is to explain to the players the reason for such directives. I also read in the newspapers that the NFF was broke sometime ago. It was this situation that led to the cutting down in the backroom staff of the senior national team. I think it behoves the football authorities to explain all this to the players as well. Keshi’s role It is wrong to blame Keshi in this matter. It is entirely the players’ matter. He can only play the role of a mediator in this matter. The players have the right to protest if they feel strongly on any matter. I am saying this because I know the thinking of the players. The truth of the matter is the players have very short time to play football. And he needs to plan for his future now. It is from the little money he makes now that he will keep for the rainy day. There is no pension scheme for the players put in place for them. Once, a player crops an injury that is the end. He is left to carry his cross alone. If such a player is unlucky that he can't come out of the injury then that may puts paid to his career. Moses’ snub I don’t want to agree with the report in the media that Moses snubbed the Super Eagles’ camp. This was a guy who played out his heart during the Nations Cup. I think there is a need to find out what the problems are before jumping into conclusion on the matter. Moses has sacrificed so much for taking a decision to play for Nigeria given the kind of humiliation he had suffered in the past. I think the football authorities should find away to reach out to him possibly to know his problems. Osaze’s return to Eagles Yes, the likes of Osaze Odemwingie, Obafemi Martins and Kalu Uche still have a place in the national team. As a coach, if Osaze comes into the team and delivers for me I don’t care about what happens later. These are players with great experience and as you know you cannot buy experience in football. As for Kalu Uche, he just came back from injury so Keshi needs to be patient with him. At times, you don’t need to rush a player if they are just coming back from injury. As for Martins, I am quite sure if he has another opportunity again he will prove his critics wrong. Livelihood I am into business to keep soul and spirit together. I have made several futile efforts to get a job with either the state of federal government sports ministry but still hopeful that anything can still happen. I don’t have any regret playing football. If it is possible to bring back my age to 20 years I will like to play football. Great moment That was in 1994 when Nigeria qualified for World Cup in US. I was happy that I was among some few Nigerian players that made history with the Super Eagles. I was also in 1988 Olympics Games. I also won trophies with some of the clubs I played with while I was in Europe. Ex-international plights The claims that some of the ex-internationals are not finding life easy may not be entirely true. It all depends on the parameter used to determine whether somebody is struggling to survive. The fact remains that so many people have erroneous believe all the professional players made money. It is not entirely true. More so, it is not all the stories in newspapers about ex-international are true. It has once been reported in the media that Celestine Babayaro was bankrupt but when I met Babayaro it was a different story. This guy was doing well. It was also reported in one of soft sell magazines that I am so broke that I am now living inside the National Stadium. I have the paper with me. I will definitely go to court because I see this as a calculated attempt to destroy my personality. It is expected of Nigerian press to help resuscitating their life and also protect them even when it appears that life is not being kind to them. But the reverse is the case in Nigeria. The foreign media don’t do this. They always project their heroes in a positive light. During our days we were not really playing for money but rather it was the love of the game that was driving us on. My main concern was to play for Enyimba not even to go to Europe. But today the orientation has changed as younger generation wants to go Europe and make money for themselves. Look at the fate I suffered in the hands of Nigerian media sometime last year. I was already on line for Lesotho FA top job. I had done the interview expecting my letter of appointment.  I later had an appointment with my former teammate-Kaizer  Hamid when I was playing in Bagladash. So, I went to meet him and incidentally it coincided with when Nigeria was playing with Argentina at away in an international friendly tie.    I met my friend we had a nice time together .But the moment the local press discovered that it was me they almost mobbed me.  In a bid to escape from the prying eyes of the press guys I tried to enter into a supermarket holding my friend’s bag because he was trying to park his car. I didn’t know what he had in the bag. Not until the screening machine revealed that the bag contains a gun. I was later interrogated by the police and I told them that the gun belongs to Kaizer Hamid. When Hamid came he produced the licence of the gun and we were allowed to go. But a Nigerian journalist that witnessed the scene just sensationalised the story saying I was caught with gun without reporting my own side of the story.        The story was everywhere and I sensed danger coming. The next thing was for the Lesotho FA to write me to explain in 40 words my connection with a gun. My brother, to cut a long story short that is how I lost the job. The matter was blown out of proportion by the Nigerian journalist that witnessed the whole episode.