An earlier move by Mba to pitch his tent with the French side before the end of the last transfer window had failed after the management of Warri Wolves turned down the offer on the ground that CA Bastia was offering the player a ‘slavery contact.’ Mba, whose precise volley against a resilient Burkina Faso brought joy and relief to millions of soccer-loving Nigerians in the final of the 2013 African Nations Cup will be missing in the Super Eagles squad in the coming CHAN 2014 tournament for home-based players in South Africa. He was said to have left the country on Friday night to begin his professional football career in France.
Several months after Mba helped the Eagles to lift the Nations Cup trophy in South Africa, his dream of playing professional football abroad was thwarted, as the management of Warri Wolves and Ranger of Enugu engaged in a tug of war over his ownership. It got to a point when the NFF had to intervene by setting up a committee, which finally ruled that Mba is a player of Warri Wolves.
With the battle over his ownership finally resolved, agents from French Ligue 1 side, CA Bastia, came knocking on the door of Warri Wolves, requesting for the services of Sunday Mba. But more controversies arose, as the management of Wolves revoked the player’s contract move to Bastia just few hours to the close of the last transfer window.
Wolves’ officials exonerated themselves by blaming Bastia for offering contractual terms that were aimed at ‘exploiting’ Mba. Wolves claimed then that Bastia insisted on paying Mba an annual salary that was not up to what he earned in the Nigeria Premier League and worse of all, a clause, which stipulated that Mba would see his contract terminated in case the club was to be relegated.
“This deal was not favourable to Mba because among other things, it stipulated that should he be injured for four months, the deal will be terminated,” the chairman of Delta State FA, Amaju Pinnick said.
“The contract also put the player’s yearly salary at €100,000, which is not up to what he earns at Warri Wolves. Added to all these are the clause that should the club be relegated, the contract will also be terminated. Is Mba a magician? So, if he is playing alongside 10 bad players and the team goes down, he should take the responsibility?” While Warri Wolves was prevailing on Mba to wait for the right time to begin his professional career, a Britain-based agent, who helped to facilitate the deal at that time, cried high heaven, castigating and labeling management of Warri Wolves as ‘greedy people’ for depriving Mba of a brilliant European career.
The agent claimed then that Wolves were interested in money to the detriment of the great opportunity Bastia was offering Mba. He said: “Cash was the problem.
They wanted all the cash and this was not possible especially with the financial regulations now in place in Europe.” “Wolves also got a generous 80 per cent sell-on clause for the player and while other clubs demanded he come for trials, this club did not,” the agent said. That was then, as Mba has re-joined CA Bastia in France, though it was not clear yesterday how much the management of Warri Wolves finally settled with the club in the latest transfer.
The Super Eagles squared up against a Rivers selected side in the Garden City yesterday in continuation of their build up to the CHAN 2014 championship. Mba was not in the team’s Le Meridian hotel camp yesterday, as he was said to have jetted out to France the previous night to begin his professional football career.
Speaking with The Guardian yesterday, NFF President Aminu Maigari said that the football house had been praying for a breakthrough in Mba’s football career. “It is cheering news that Mba has finally tied down a contract with CA Bastia in France.
This is good for our football and we wish him the best of luck.” Maigari stated that the absence of Mba would not in any way affect the Super Eagles in the 2014 CHAN tournament in South Africa. “I am sure the coaches will be able to find a substitution that will fit into Mba’s position. I know that time is not on their side, but I don’t see his movement affecting the team in South Africa.” Super Eagles assistant coach Daniel Amokachi, had said two days ago that they had resigned themselves to fate saying: “We have to work hard to discover those who can fill Mba’s shoes.
We just have to brace up and wish him the best because it is a career thing.” Mba, alongside Chigozie Agbim and Azubuike Egwuekwe, are the most experienced home-based players in the Super Eagles camp.Guardian
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