A football agent, Henry Galliano, was on
Monday evening assaulted by a Nigerian
coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, at the
Rockview Hotel, Owerri, the Imo State
capital.
The assault, which
happened at about 6:00
p.m. was caused by the
decision of Golden
Eaglets star, Kelechi Iheanacho, to
choose Galliano as his agent ahead of
one recommended by Amuneke.
As agent, Galliano would be responsible
for arranging club transfer deals for
Ihenacho, a member of the world-
conquering Golden Eaglets. Iheanacho
was selected by FIFA as the best player
of the just-concluded FIFA U17 World
Cup in the UAE.
He has since been linked to top European
clubs including FC Porto and Manchester
City. Iheanacho has signed an agent deal
officially with Galliano with a copy of the
agreement sent to the secretariat of the
Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.
The agent also confirmed that a copy of
the agreement with Iheanacho was
submitted to the NFF on October 21. In a
chat with PREMIUM TIMES, Galliano and
his Nigerian partner, Solomon
Oluwaseun, accused Amuneke of
assault; and threatened to press charges
against him.
They said the coach invited them for a
meeting before he got angry, saying that
his (Amuneke's chosen) agent must be
the one to handle Iheanacho's transfer.
"The coach invited us, we went to see
him and he started threatening Kelechi
that he should follow him to Abuja to
sign with his agent who is working with
a Nasiru Jubril, a staff of the NFF; or else
Nasiru, the man in charge of the ITC
(International Transfer Certificate), will
not release kelechi's ITC to him and they
will both make sure that he is banned
from Nigeria football; also he will not get
a good club.
"When the agent tried to talk back, the
coach slapped him and beat him up in
the presence of over 25 people,"
Solomon said. In his comment, Galliano
said he only came to Nigeria to take
Iheanacho abroad for club engagement;
and he didn't know why the coach
threatened him.
"I came here to take Kelechi to his club.
FC Porto and Manchester City are
interested in him but Manchester City
has a better package. This was our
discussion and conclusion when Mr.
Amuneke sent for me, and asked me to
go back to my cousin.
"He called me names, beat me up and
embarrassed me, he said it's impossible
to just take his players," Galliano said
while accusing Amuneke of racial
statements.
Galliano, an American, said Keshi
ordered Ihenacho to follow him to Abuja
and also threatened him; which made
the boy to burst into tears and went
away.
"Kelechi is nowhere to be found, he
started crying after the threat made
against him, the small boy is afraid and I
hope he will not lose hope. "Amuneke
said he will delay his ITC and deal with
him, he called vulgar words, cursing the
boys and the players," he said.
When Reporters tried to speak to
Iheanacho, but his phone was switched
off. His father, when contacted, declined
comment.
Amuneke, a Nations Cup winner in 1994
with the Super Eagles, and current
assistant coach of the Golden Eaglets,
confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that he
assaulted the American.
When contacted on phone, an angry
Amuneke confirmed that he slapped
Galliano. He threatened to beat him up
again whenever he sees him. He,
however, denied being involved in the
player's possible transfer.
"Yes, of course I slapped him very well
and I will do it again whenever I see
him," Amuneke said. "He is an idiot,
useless white man, he wants to come
and reap where he didn't sow. "Kelechi
is a nobody; yes, I said we helped him
into the team, made him, moulded him
into what he is today, he shouldn't allow
anybody to fool him," the former winger
said.
When asked the reason for his action and
his rumoured roles in Kelechi and other
players transfer business, Amuneke said,
"I care so much for my players, I am a
coach." "I'm not an agent but I just look
out for the boys.
He wants to come and sign a player just
like that, he's an idiot, I will not allow
him. "Because the boy's parents are
poor and illiterate, he wants to use them.
We are Nigerians and we're not foolish,"
he added. Despite Amuneke's denial, the
shady involvement of Nigerian coaches
and football officials in the transfer of
players to foreign clubs is something
muted and known by close observers of
Nigerian football.
A football website, Goal.com, recently
revealed that Super Eagles midfielder,
Sunday Mba's move to a French club,
was scuttled because of the financial
demands and involvement of Eagles
coach, Stephen Keshi, and some officials
of the NFF. Mba had been unveiled by
the French club, Bastia, before he was
forced to return to Nigeria.
The NFF also recently suspended a
former Secretary General of the
Federation, Taiwo Ogunjobi, over the
latter's alleged involvement in the
transfer of a Flying Eagles forward,
Olanrewaju Kayode.
Monday evening assaulted by a Nigerian
coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, at the
Rockview Hotel, Owerri, the Imo State
capital.
The assault, which
happened at about 6:00
p.m. was caused by the
decision of Golden
Eaglets star, Kelechi Iheanacho, to
choose Galliano as his agent ahead of
one recommended by Amuneke.
As agent, Galliano would be responsible
for arranging club transfer deals for
Ihenacho, a member of the world-
conquering Golden Eaglets. Iheanacho
was selected by FIFA as the best player
of the just-concluded FIFA U17 World
Cup in the UAE.
He has since been linked to top European
clubs including FC Porto and Manchester
City. Iheanacho has signed an agent deal
officially with Galliano with a copy of the
agreement sent to the secretariat of the
Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.
The agent also confirmed that a copy of
the agreement with Iheanacho was
submitted to the NFF on October 21. In a
chat with PREMIUM TIMES, Galliano and
his Nigerian partner, Solomon
Oluwaseun, accused Amuneke of
assault; and threatened to press charges
against him.
They said the coach invited them for a
meeting before he got angry, saying that
his (Amuneke's chosen) agent must be
the one to handle Iheanacho's transfer.
"The coach invited us, we went to see
him and he started threatening Kelechi
that he should follow him to Abuja to
sign with his agent who is working with
a Nasiru Jubril, a staff of the NFF; or else
Nasiru, the man in charge of the ITC
(International Transfer Certificate), will
not release kelechi's ITC to him and they
will both make sure that he is banned
from Nigeria football; also he will not get
a good club.
"When the agent tried to talk back, the
coach slapped him and beat him up in
the presence of over 25 people,"
Solomon said. In his comment, Galliano
said he only came to Nigeria to take
Iheanacho abroad for club engagement;
and he didn't know why the coach
threatened him.
"I came here to take Kelechi to his club.
FC Porto and Manchester City are
interested in him but Manchester City
has a better package. This was our
discussion and conclusion when Mr.
Amuneke sent for me, and asked me to
go back to my cousin.
"He called me names, beat me up and
embarrassed me, he said it's impossible
to just take his players," Galliano said
while accusing Amuneke of racial
statements.
Galliano, an American, said Keshi
ordered Ihenacho to follow him to Abuja
and also threatened him; which made
the boy to burst into tears and went
away.
"Kelechi is nowhere to be found, he
started crying after the threat made
against him, the small boy is afraid and I
hope he will not lose hope. "Amuneke
said he will delay his ITC and deal with
him, he called vulgar words, cursing the
boys and the players," he said.
When Reporters tried to speak to
Iheanacho, but his phone was switched
off. His father, when contacted, declined
comment.
Amuneke, a Nations Cup winner in 1994
with the Super Eagles, and current
assistant coach of the Golden Eaglets,
confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that he
assaulted the American.
When contacted on phone, an angry
Amuneke confirmed that he slapped
Galliano. He threatened to beat him up
again whenever he sees him. He,
however, denied being involved in the
player's possible transfer.
"Yes, of course I slapped him very well
and I will do it again whenever I see
him," Amuneke said. "He is an idiot,
useless white man, he wants to come
and reap where he didn't sow. "Kelechi
is a nobody; yes, I said we helped him
into the team, made him, moulded him
into what he is today, he shouldn't allow
anybody to fool him," the former winger
said.
When asked the reason for his action and
his rumoured roles in Kelechi and other
players transfer business, Amuneke said,
"I care so much for my players, I am a
coach." "I'm not an agent but I just look
out for the boys.
He wants to come and sign a player just
like that, he's an idiot, I will not allow
him. "Because the boy's parents are
poor and illiterate, he wants to use them.
We are Nigerians and we're not foolish,"
he added. Despite Amuneke's denial, the
shady involvement of Nigerian coaches
and football officials in the transfer of
players to foreign clubs is something
muted and known by close observers of
Nigerian football.
A football website, Goal.com, recently
revealed that Super Eagles midfielder,
Sunday Mba's move to a French club,
was scuttled because of the financial
demands and involvement of Eagles
coach, Stephen Keshi, and some officials
of the NFF. Mba had been unveiled by
the French club, Bastia, before he was
forced to return to Nigeria.
The NFF also recently suspended a
former Secretary General of the
Federation, Taiwo Ogunjobi, over the
latter's alleged involvement in the
transfer of a Flying Eagles forward,
Olanrewaju Kayode.
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