Posted by By DAVID ONWUCHEKWA, Nnewi on
To Isaiah Nwali (Jnr), he has all it takes to be a soccer star. He had started playing the round lether game when he was six and now he has turned 20, football has become part of him.
•Nigeria's budding soccer star turned down in Libya for travelling by road
To Isaiah Nwali (Jnr), he has all it takes to be a soccer star. He had started playing the round lether game when he was six and now he has turned 20, football has become part of him.
But Nwali junior has not been that lucky like many of his compatriots who are playing soccer overseas. All opportunities to travel out to play football seem to have eluded him. For instance, he has been unable to get a flight ticket to Libya to honour invitations by five football clubs.
His poor father, a missionary, Mr Daniel Nwali, told Daily Sun a pathetic story of how his son went to Libya the first time, but could not be engaged to any football club because he came into the country by land instead of by air even after he was adjudged a football star to watch by sports authorities in Libya .
Mr Nwali, who worked with Holy Spirit Favour Assembly at Federal Survey Road , Aduwawa , Benin City, said he had spent his life savings to send his boy to Libya by land when a man who led their contingent disappointed them in Niger Republic .
However, the Ebonyi State-born footballer is now in Nigeria thinking about the next thing to do, while his father is trying earnestly to get sponsors to enable his son go back to Libya where he has been tested and confirmed a star.
Young Isaiah at tender age
My son began to play football at the age of six. When he became 10 years old, he played with Chemacado Football Club, Benin City and later joined Paulson FC, Benin , clubs that trained most star footballers in Nigeria today, before he showed interest to play football outside the shores of this country.
Libya experience
He was fortunate to be invited to Libya among other footballers in Nigeria but the man who led the football contingent disappointed the boys in Niger Republic as he allegedly disappeared with the travelling fund said to have been made available by the host country. That was the beginning of my son's trouble.
I had to make an effort to raise some money that would enable him enter Libya by land since I could not (and I still cannot) afford money for air ticket.
When he arrived in Libya he joined others in a qualifying football competition and at the end of it all, he was the first person to be picked. But when the football authorities looked at his travelling documents and discovered that he came in by land, they said he would not be assigned to any club otherwise any club that employ his service permanently would be sanctioned.
According to my son, the Libya trip would have fetched those assigned to clubs an onward movement to Holland .
So, my son stayed in Libya, playing on part time basis for some clubs for over one year before he came back to Nigeria .
He earlier played for NFA junior team and joined them in some competitions within the country. Isaiah was even promised to be given a letter to join NFA junior national team, but later we discovered that somebody intercepted the letter. It was not given to him.
My son has told me that there is nothing else he wants to do for a living apart from playing football which he began at kindergarten level.
Appeal
I know that there are many sports lovers and pillars in this country and sports is a fast moving industry across the globe. Some people believe that talents are born not made. I think they are correct because my son is highly talented in football playing. So, I appeal for help from any individual or organization to enable him display his talent and make a living from it. Even if it means to help him on contract basis, we will welcome it. I can't stop him any more.