Ex-Nigerian football star Jonathan Akpoborie has vowed NEVER to allow his son to play for any of the national teams.
The former VfL Wolfsburg player is fuming with bitterness and rage over allegations of child slavery which ruined his career.
His rather exciting career was reduced to ruins when a boat, managed by his family, was stopped in Benin Republic after allegations that it was carrying children into slavery in Gabon in 2001.
The incident led to Akpoborie’s suspension from the VfL Wolfsburg team and eventually, after a brief sojourn at Saarbrücken, to his retirement.
The story of the ship, its passengers and owner has been covered by the documentary Das Schiff des Torjägers (The Goalgetter’s Ship) by Swiss director Heidi Specogna.
Akpoborie says he regrets playing for the Super Eagles and will NEVER allow his son to follow in his footsteps after being treated as an outcast by his own people.
“Yes, really. When you think about it and don’t want to say who is to blame. Having played in Germany and looking at my teammates after retiring from football, winning the trophy at the U-17 level was a wonderful experience and I would not take anything from that, but at the Super Eagles’ level and everything I am going through now and being treated as an outcast in my country is just not necessary,” he fumed
“Those things are childish and nobody can erase my name from the history of Nigerian football. So whatever anybody is doing now does not really bother me.
“That we, Nigerians, actually allow all those things to happen is what bothers me. That is why if today or tomorrow I have a son that plays football; he will not play for Nigeria.”
He won the FIFA World U-17 Cup with Nigeria in China in 1985.
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