Good morning Guys!
Aproko mode: activated. Story, Story? Once upon a time. Hmmm I caught some sweet drama in one of the sports dailies yesterday. A proper brother vs brother fight. In the red corner: Heartland. In the blue corner: Enyimba. Bell rings, and we’re off.
Heartland; yes, that Heartland. Once a proud giant, the ex Home of Football. Now? Just a blurry shadow of its former self, fresh from setting the “speedrun” record for relegation, up today, down tomorrow. Twelve months back in the top flight, and boom, straight back down. (Could almost say same for Enyimba without the relegation of course).
Anyway, the story is that following the pre-season tournament. Heartland showed up, probably hoping to work on their shape. Instead, they claim they left missing a few valuables, namely four players. They’re calling it poaching.
The “loot,” according to Heartland:
John Bassey – striker, came to them from Bayelsa United
Christian Molokwu – 21, attacker
Kelvin Ogunja – Goalkeeper
Samuel Agu – Defender
Cue Coach Amuneke, speaking like a man who just realized his wallet was missing:
“Our aim of participating in this tournament was purely developmental,” Amuneke said. “However, it’s disheartening to learn that clubs, notably Enyimba, have attempted to disrupt our plans by trying to poach players who have just begun their journeys with us”.
“We’ve had a good relationship with Enyimba over the years, but their recent unethical behaviour of ‘tapping’ Heartland players in the most unprofessional manner can no longer be condoned.
“At the moment, Christian Molokwu, John Bassey, Kelvin Ogunja and Samuel Agu are currently training with Enyimba without any formal approach or enquiry.”
Ouch. Strong jab. But Oga SD didn’t flinch, like a true warrior, he hit right back with an upper cut:
“Ordinarily, I would not engage in a public exchange with Coach Amuneke, who is my senior in both age and football,” Ekwueme said. “However, for the sake of clarity and because silence can sometimes be misinterpreted as consent, I must set the record straight.”
“The players in question were not poached by Enyimba. They approached us of their own accord, bringing their clearance papers with them. The real question should be how those papers were obtained, not why they chose to join Enyimba,”
“In football, player movement is natural. We didn’t complain when our players moved elsewhere we replaced them and moved on. Players will always go where the grass is greener,”
And that’s that. Ding-ding. Fight over.
No need for my verdict or thoughts and opinions on that. You’re the judge today. You make the call, but between you and me, it’s always sweeter to be the poacher than the poachee. Tu comprends?
Back tomorrow.
‘EnyimbaEnyi
