Iheanacho - What next in this drama?
Is U17 World Cup MVP Kelechi Iheanacho doomed
even before his promising career has begun as his father is all about cashing in on his son?
The football world was literally on the feet of the younger Iheanacho after he was voted the MVP of the 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, where he scored seven goals as Nigeria clinched a record fourth World Cup.
Some of Europe’s top clubs are believed to have indicated interest in the 17-year-old gifted forward armed with a magical left foot.
But his father, James Iheanacho, has since become the recurring decimal in the several controversies that have dogged his son’s next destination.
“Greed by those who should care is the root of all the controversies surrounding the boy now,” lamented one of those very familiar with this transaction.
Among the allegations levelled against Iheanacho senior is that he placed a million Euros price tag on his son and also signed out multiple representative mandates to various agents.
Such was the confusion caused by these multiple mandates that a meeting of these agents had to be called in the UAE to avoid them working in cross purposes.
It has been gathered that Iheanacho had first agreed for a London-based agency fronted by a Nigerian-born agent to represent his son after the African Junior Championship in April in Morocco.
But he would soon sign another mandate for a USA- based group because “I no trust black man, but Oyibo no fit cheat me”.
Ironically, both the Porto and Manchester City offers for Iheanacho were facilitated by the London agency and not the “oyibos” from the US.
It was further gathered that Iheanacho would have long signed for Portuguese champions FC Porto by the quarterfinal of the U17 World Cup, but again his father put a stop to this when he insisted he wanted to be on
the party to Portugal. That was when a formal Manchester City offer came
through. It was a better offer than what Porto
proposed and among other things it promised hefty cash payments to father and son upon signing of contract.
Kelechi will get 250,000 pounds, his father will pocket 350,000 pounds and the Taye Academy in Owerri will be 300,000 pounds richer.
The player will also be entitled to various bonuses
based on his making the City first team and playing a certain number of games within a period of time.
Both rival agents would then have to cough out various cash gifts to “wet the ground” in the last few months with the latest gift of $5,000 presented last week before father and son flew out to Madrid, Spain, for a Manchester City medical.
In Madrid, Iheanacho passed his medical in the
presence of City chief scout Gary Worthington, but all the joy turned to shock and disbelief when it was discovered the Iheanachos will only get their hands on the cash in January 2015, by which time the boy would have clocked 18 and the transfer window has opened.
Kelechi, who has all along said his heart desire is to move to Porto, is now reported to have second thoughts about a move to City as a result.
It is now left to be seen what would be the next
episode in this unfolding story of greed, drama,
intrigues and cut-throat competition.
www.mtnfootball.com/europe/epl/news/2013/dec/26-iheanacho-the-greed-of-a-father.html

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