By Wale:

COLUMNISTS feed fat on issues and events of public interest that have been published or broadcast, and so last week when Taribo West opened up on the dangers that sex does to footballers, my day was made.

In an interview in the Weekend Soccer Star, Taribo West, who made a remarkable career as a dependable defender for the national team, the Super Eagles, zeroed in on Nigerian striker, Obafemi Martins, whose promising career in Europe seems to be dipping since he moved from Inter Milan in Italy to Newcastle United in the English Premiership.

At Inter Milan, Martins, nicknamed “Obagoal” or Weapon of Mass Destruction, was hot and lethal. In England, Martins has become a shadow of himself, picking injury here and there, and even for the national team, the Super Eagles, his services have been on and off and non productive. What could be responsible? Taribo West, who has since become a Pastor believes Martins’ problem is too much frolicking with women.

By the time Martins got to London where he made more money, he began to relax, and once a player begins to frolick with women, the tendency is to start getting injuries regularly. Taribo should know, because he too has passed through similar experience.

At France 98 World Cup, Taribo’s frolicking with women was legendary, but the problem was that Nigerian photo journalists were and still not professional enough to publish sleazy pictures of Nigerian sports stars as they regularly publish those concerning foreign stars.

So why did Taribo West pick on Obafemi Martins, out of the scores of Nigerians playing professional football in Europe? The answer is simple.

Obafemi Martins truly runs the risk of truncating his promising career if care is not taken to curb his propensity towards the pursuit of the profligate pleasure of the flesh. What is the simple word for this?

Among women, it is called nymphomania, among men, I guess we can call it sex-mania. Taribo West’s admonition to Obafemi Martins came a little over a year after the African Cup of Nations in Ghana and while I was there I picked up a lot of unsavouring stories concerning the sex escapades of some Super Eagles, especially Obafemi Martins.

[b]The urge to “sample” Ghanaian girls was so strong among the Super Eagles, some of them broke camp rules. But for the tearful pleading of the mother of one of the Super Eagles, he could have been expelled from Ghana 2008 by the NFF. If players to continental championships could display such flagrant disregard to rules, in pursuit of sex, you can imagine the extent they can go, if left on their own.

Taribo West’s warning to Obafemi Martins is timely and others should learn from it. At Tunisia 2004 African Cup of Nations finals, three Super Eagles were expelled for “importing” women from England to Tunisia and “camping” them in the same hotel. Out of the three, Victor Agali and Celestine Babayaro have faded out of the scene, Yakubu Aiyegbeni beat a retreat, got married, but is grappling with long injury.

But why are Nigerian newspapers and sports publications not up to international standard by publishing Nigerian sports stars in compromising pictures with their women, as they often publish European and American stars? Almost daily, you see Cristiano Ronaldo, Ashley Cole, Wayne Rooney, David Beckham etc. etc. frolicking with their spouse on the beach, or swimming pool. Why can’t the newspapers show up Nigerian stars too?[/b]I can recall only one, when Celestine Babayaro, (this same Babayaro again) was with some bikini-clad white girls at the Sheraton Hotel Ikeja swimming pool, shortly before the 2002 World Cup. The media has a role in showing up the other side of stars, because once you are a music, movie, sports entertainment, star, your privacy is no longer yours exclusively.

Whatever you do in public, is of public interest, and some of the things you do in your home, can also interest the public. There is an eternal price to pay for stardom.
Obafemi Martins should take Taribo’s word in good faith, and that goes for other sports stars. Thank God I’m not a star, but simply the Grandmaster

Na only dem dey STRAF?
make we hear word jare

Taribo would know he did it

Taribo should go find a day job
What kind of stupid logic is this?? Sex = Injuries?? C'mon

Ashley Cole is famous for his sexapades and is one of the best LBs in the EPL
What of Ronaldo?? The rapist and prostitute shagger is the best player in the world.
David was playing well in Real while he was busy bending in free-kicks in real

How big was Martins in Inter sef?? His only competition was an aged Christian Vieri.
And Agali?? C'mon, dude had a few good matches, Celestine was just too old to play RB, with the influx of pacy wingers like Ronaldo, Hleb, SWP, Stelios, who would leave an out-of-pace RB like Babayaro in his team.

Nigerians and their poor research skills. . . just check out the opinionated write-up by this Wale dude.

And what's wrong with the media doing it's job and reporting news?? Abeg, these people should stop using The Sun and Daily Star as a benchmark for UK newspapers.
Tell me when[i] The Times[/i] or Independent have ever put Beckham's escapades on their frontpage.

Damn . . . the Modify thingy

Anyways, on the fifth line, I meant . . . Becks was shagging Rebecca Loos while he was still bending free-kicks at Real Madrid

My point is, sex has been proven time and again to be good physical and mental exercise . . .
Maybe other factors like alcohol and fame . . .but def not sex

dis time i think taribo was thinkin wit his face,no wonder his opinions r so ugly///d problem wit d players is old age,de can deceive us wit der ages but dey cant deceive der bodies, & y pick on martins alone wen we ve people lik utaka who i think is now d chief chef @ portsmort wit papilo as his assistant

*Balderdash*

Maybe Taribo meant to say Indiscipline on and off the pitch is The Greatest Enemy of Eagle's Players

rubbish yan

na wa ooo.even 4 backyard 4 ghana dem dey shag during competition,no wonder we perform badly.dem come dey blame berti.i pity naija playas[color=#550000][/color]