Goal can authoritatively reveal that it was sheer
greed on the part of Nigerian club officials that
cost Super Eagles midfielder Sunday Mba the
opportunity of kick-starting his professional
football career in France with modest French Ligue
2 club CA Bastia in a two-year-deal said to be
worth around €1 million.
The fans of Bastia had thronged out to welcome
the Africa Cup of Nations hero to their city when he
arrived last week. They screamed his name every
time he was seen through the window of his hotel
room: “We love Sunday Mba” and “Welcome to
Bastia Sunday Mba, we love you,” they shouted. He
had begun to feel at home.
But the hope of having the 25-year-old play for
their darling club ebbed near European transfer
deadline day when the midfielder left France when
he realised that forces beyond him would not allow
him make progress.
Mba jetted back to the country on Monday and
moved to the Metropolitan Hotel Camp of the Super
Eagles in Calabar on Tuesday after his Bastia deal
was thrown to the trash can by the Warri Wolves
officials and other two prominent partners involved
in the deal.
Goal discovered from a prominent contact who was
privy to the contract and it was discovered that the
sharing of the €150,000 involved as transfer fee
was the major cause of the deal not materializing
in the first place.
Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi allegedly
demanded for €50,000 from the deal which Warri
Wolves boss Amaju Pinnick perceived was too
much and believed that the remaining €100,000
won’t be enough for him and Emmanuel Ibru, who
was also involved in the sale of the player, to
share.
Ibru was involved in the controversial transfer of
late Super Eagles defender Olubayo Adefemi before
he joined Skoda Xanthi.
They all disagreed on Mba putting pen to paper for
Bastia unless the transfer fee was jacked up to at
least €600,000 so that they could have enough to
go share.
The player, though not happy, couldn’t help the
situation. According to a close friend of his, Mba
sobbed uncontrollably in his hotel in France
because he had already started feeling at home in
Bastia as a result of love and affection shown to
him by Bastia fans.
Goal can also authoritatively reveal the terms of
agreement Mba could have signed with Bastia as
follows:
If Bastia gains promotion to Ligue 1, they have the
right to buy Sunday Mba at a preferential price of
€800,000 minus the amount they have already paid
while a bonus of €100,000 will be given to Warri
Wolves, Mba’s club.
Also a partnership deal of 2 years will be agreed
between the two clubs (Bastia and Warri Wolves)
to organize friendly games and trials at Bastia for
the best players of Warri Wolves. This agreement
will work at the moment they maintain their place
in the league or get promoted and the contract can
be renewed every 2 years.
The player also cannot be sold for less than
€800,000. In the case where he is sold on to
another club, Warri Wolves would be given 50 per
cent of the fees.
In case the player is injured for more than 4
months, Bastia have the right to release him and
have to give him back to Warri Wolves without
asking for their money back and don't have to pay
the rest of the money due.
In case CA Bastia get relegated, Sunday Mba will
go back to Warri Wolves as being specified in the
contract that Mba couldn’t sign.
With the failure of Mba to move to Europe this
summer, it is yet to be seen how this would affect
the career of the player who helped Nigeria to
victory at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

Greed is one of the major problems in Nigeria. Now that everyone could not even receive dime as he was not sold again, i think it is now better for them. GRAB ALL, LOOSE ALL. I feel for Mba.

Dreal1247: Greed is one of the major problems in Nigeria. Now that everyone could not even receive dime as he was not sold again, i think it is now better for them. GRAB ALL, LOOSE ALL. I feel for Mba.

yea bro, I really feel for him. I have imagined me inside his shoes and ........it feels horrible to encounter such a thing

too bad