Damn! This is embarrassing...

[Otitokoro]

Source: The Sowetan

South African football’s most expensive flop has left the building
BY MARK GLEESON - 03 January 2018 - 15:55

Ejike Uzoenyi of Mamelodi Sundowns during the Absa Premiership match between Bloemfontein Celtic and Mamelodi Sundowns at Free State Stadium on September 14, 2014 in Bloemfontein.
Image: Charle Lombard/Gallo Images

Nigerian international Ejike Uzoenyi has left Ajax Cape Town to end almost four years of being the most expensive flop in the South African game.

Ejike departs the Premier Soccer League having made just five starts in four seasons despite arriving in the country for the biggest transfer fee paid by a South African club and pocketing the largest salary any one in the PSL has ever earned.

The 25-year-old winger bounced into local consciousness at the African Nations Championships in Cape Town in early 2014 where he made such a strong impression.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane chased after him with much determination.

Sundowns paid just over USS1-milion (over R12-million) to Enugu Rangers for the player‚ who has already had a loan spell in France’s Ligue 1 as a teenager and who looked to be a marquee signing for the PSL.

He arrived at Sundowns fresh from participating at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil with the Super Eagles.

His gross salary was R12-million per year‚ working out at take-home-pay of almost R670 000 monthly the most any player has ever earned in the country.

It was a coup for his agent Mohamed Lawal with Sundowns hoping they might be able to recoup their investment in future years with a big money transfer to Europe.

But it all ended as a massive act of folly.

Ejike debuted for Sundowns against Bidvest Wits in October 2014‚ after delays in securing a work permit‚ but that was one of only two starts he made for the Brazilians as he failed to impress.

So much so that the next season (2015/16) Sundowns failed to register him as they had too many foreigners‚ but kept paying him his enormous salary as he sat around doing nothing.

The same happened again for the third year of his contract but after six months Ejike negotiated a lucrative settlement and took his clearance.

He joined Wits at the start of last year but despite impressing in trails and being described by Gavin Hunt as sensational in training‚ he only made two starts with two more substitute appearances.

Wits paid him just a fraction of what he had earned at Sundowns‚ offering the chance for a better contract if he impressed and delivered.

But at the end of their last‚ championship-winning season‚ Wits did not take up an option to extend his contract and Ejike joined Ajax instead.

Bu he is now back in the wilderness again after just six months‚ starting just one game for the struggling Cape Town outfit who said Ejike did not show enough determination and seemed to only go through the motions.

Ajax confirmed on Wednesday that he has ‘left the building’.

[Bigpokey24]

nah dem shelege be that..why sign a player when you have a quota for foreign players?

[akamoke]

Embarrassing for whom?

[danfo driver]

A deeply sh1t player who can boast that he was once a Nigerian International. Unfortunately, over the years, on many occasions, we have reduced the esteem of our national colors by giving people the opportunity to buy their way into the national team. This man is another reminder of the dark times.

[maceo4]

That guy was embarrassingly bad at the ANC and WC! Kai!

[ogasir]

Terrible player. Wasn't he the one who was subbed in and then subbed out minutes later cuz he was so bad?

[truetalk]

A deeply sh1t player who can boast that he was once a Nigerian International. Unfortunately, over the years, on many occasions, we have reduced the esteem of our national colors by giving people the opportunity to buy their way into the national team. This man is another reminder of the dark times.

Slow your roll.

He was a good player for Rangers and the best player in the CHAN, so your description of him is very wrong.

Did he deserve to go to the WC ahead of the likes of Mba and Ideye? Certainly not! He was on the deep end of the bench of the 2013 CAN winning squad, but was deservedly in the squad, once Keshi decided to take 6 home based players.

I believe the problem with Ejike was his weight. For someone as tiny/short as he was, he needed to keep the weight down to continue to have the kind of impact he had in Nigeria and the CHAN.

Maybe Keshi was right about the home based players in the 2013 CAN being hungry, because once Ejike chopped up on foreign food a bit, he started looking like the Pillsbury dough-boy.

I'm guessing his problem might have to do more with lifestyle/discipline than ability.

[paj]

I recall when a coach tried to repeated push this guy into the SE

[Undertaker]

Can you imagine we took this guy to a World cup?

[mcal]

...haters will always hate. Where is the embarrassment? Did he force them to pay him while sitting around?
I think your title should be, "am jealous..." small boy making this money for nothing

[olu]

Given he performed so well at the 2014 CHAN and against SA in that tournament, I'm not surprised a South African club spent so much to get him. I wonder if his rapid decline could be due to age falsification. According to Wikipedia, he is 29 and joined Enyimba in 2005 when he was 16. A 16 year old can indeed play for Enyimba, however, it does make me question whether he shaved some years off his age?

Ultimately it's hard to pin point why he was so poor in SA. I never thought he was good enough to be in the world cup squad, however, I did think he was good enough to do well in SA. So it does come as a surprise he greatly underachieved there.

[Gotti]

...haters will always hate. Where is the embarrassment? Did he force them to pay him while sitting around?
I think your title should be, "am jealous..." small boy making this money for nothing

Spot on!

[Gotti]

Terrible player. Wasn't he the one who was subbed in and then subbed out minutes later cuz he was so bad?

That was Rabiu Ibrahim (under Oliseh)...
Ejike was the SE's BEST player in the preliminary rounds of the 2014 WCQs. Period!

[truetalk]

Meanwhile, this Mark Gleeson of a person is extremely irritating and borderline racist.

Sadly, the Western press almost always look to him as the first option for commentary on African football.

[truetalk]

Terrible player. Wasn't he the one who was subbed in and then subbed out minutes later cuz he was so bad?

That was Rabiu Ibrahim (under Oliseh)...
Ejike was the SE's BEST player in the preliminary rounds of the 2014 WCQs. Period!

Actually, it was Lukman Haruna vs. Tanzania.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

...haters will always hate. Where is the embarrassment? Did he force them to pay him while sitting around?
I think your title should be, "am jealous..." small boy making this money for nothing

Spot on!

No mind the suegbes

[Gotti]

Slow your roll.

He was a good player for Rangers and the best player in the CHAN, so your description of him is very wrong.

Did he deserve to go to the WC ahead of the likes of Mba and Ideye? Certainly not! He was on the deep end of the bench of the 2013 CAN winning squad, but was deservedly in the squad, once Keshi decided to take 6 home based players.

I believe the problem with Ejike was his weight. For someone as tiny/short as he was, he needed to keep the weight down to continue to have the kind of impact he had in Nigeria and the CHAN.

Maybe Keshi was right about the home based players in the 2013 CAN being hungry, because once Ejike chopped up on foreign food a bit, he started looking like the Pillsbury dough-boy.

I'm guessing his problem might have to do more with lifestyle/discipline than ability.

Uzoenyi was only a late injury replacement for Elderson Echiejile...

[Gotti]

Actually, it was Lukman Haruna vs. Tanzania.

Nope. It was Rabiu away against Swaziland...
Lukman suffered the 'indignity' of lasting only 33 mins against Tanzania.

[mystic]

So at age 25 when he should be in his prime years he's already washed up?

[tfco]

...haters will always hate. Where is the embarrassment? Did he force them to pay him while sitting around?
I think your title should be, "am jealous..." small boy making this money for nothing

Spot on!

[Gotti]

So at age 25 when he should be in his prime years he's already washed up?

Not sure where the reporter got his info (or Maths education)...
But Uzoenyi is listed as born in 1988, which makes him 30 this year.

Further, leaving one club after a terrible stint does not necessarily mean being 'washed up'...
I am reasonably sure that if Ejike elects to return to the NPFL, some club(s) may find him useful.

[nemi2002]

Did keshi force him on the southie team?

[Enugu II]

So at age 25 when he should be in his prime years he's already washed up?

Not sure where the reporter got his info (or Maths education)...
But Uzoenyi is listed as born in 1988, which makes him 30 this year.

Further, leaving one club after a terrible stint does not necessarily mean being 'washed up'...
I am reasonably sure that if Ejike elects to return to the NPFL, some club(s) may find him useful.

Gotti,

His birth date listed by FIFA for the World Cup is 1992. IMHO, I have since believed that Ejike's decline is essentially age-related. At his prime, he was clearly one of the best players in the country and deserved his call up to the NT and being at AFCON in 2013. For someone to take his current travail now and present it as justification that he did not deserve a place in a squad of five years ago is simply stunning. It is similar to using Rashidi Yekini's play at the WC in 1998 to question Rashidi's presence on the team four years before. People age, guys, they do.

Back to Ejike, I had raised the issue of his birth date years ago because his later use of 1992 raised eyebrows for me at the time. It just made no sense. Note that it would mean that he was barely 13 years when he debuted for Nigeria in 2005 (August 10) v Benin Rep in Abuja (6-0) under Eguavoen.

Here is a previous story on the age controversies (visit FIFA site and take a look at information on Uzoenyi for 2014 WC):

https://westafricanfootball.com/2012/08 ... e-2012-10/
* Several players from the Nigeria Premier League have featured for the Super Eagles, the Nigeria national football team, during the qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. This also means that the birthdate of the players has been publicized at www.fifa.com:

Chigozie Agbim (goalkeeper – Warri Wolves FC) – born 28.11.1984

Azubuike Egwuekwe (centre-back – Warri Wolves FC) – born 16.07.1989

Reuben Gabriel (midfielder – Kano Pillars FC) – born 25.09.1990

Papa Idris (centre-back – Kano Pillars FC) – born 27.07.1989

Sunday Mba (attacking midfielder – Warri Wolves FC) – born 28.11.1988

Obinna Stephen Nwachukwu (attacker – Heartland FC) – born 18.01.1992

Godfrey Oboabona (right-back / centre-back – Sunshine Stars FC) – born 16.09.1990

Juwon Oshaniwa (left-back – Sharks FC) – born 14.09.1990

Henry Uche (attacking midfielder – Enyimba FC) – born 18.08.1990

Ejike Uzoenyi (left-winger – Rangers International FC) – born 23.03.1992

I have previously written that Agbim is born in 1984 or on 20.08.1984 but I will now officially use 28.11.1984 as his correct date of birth. Egwuekwe’s birthdate is the same birthdate that was published by 2muchsports during the Nigeria Premier League 2010-2011. MTN Football has previously suggested that Gabriel is born in 1991 and a Japanese website, which I don’t trust, has previously written that Gabriel is born in 19.11.1985. Personally, I think 25.09.1990 makes a lot of sense and I believe FIFA has the correct one. The same birthdate was published by 2muchsports and a Norwegian club I helped a few months ago, who had received a CV of the player with the birthdate 25.09.1990. The birthdate of Idris, who turned 23 some weeks ago, Mba, who will turn 24 in November, and Nwachukwu, who is 20 years old, has been known for years.

I have previously written that Oboabona is born 16.08.1990 but it turns out that I missed with a month. I will use the birthdate 16.09.1990 in the continuance. Both FIFA and 2muchsports agree that Oshaniwa is born 14.09.1990. The official website of Enyimba and FIFA agree that Uche is born 18.08.1990.

In October 2010 I wrote that Uzoenyi was 22 years old. 2muchsports has published the birthdate 23.03.1988, which I found likely based on his trials in Norway, his broad experience in the Nigeria Premier League (Uzoenyi played top level football for Enyimba FC as early as 2007 and featured for Gateway FC before that) and his performances for the Nigeria U-15 and Nigeria U-20 national football team. It is a fact that Uzoenyi was the big star of the Nigeria U-15 national football team in April 2002: http://allafrica.com/stories/200204230700.html.

Based on the above, I was very surprised to read that Uzoenyi is born 23.03.1992. But as always, you never know with Nigerian football.