assaulted by a Nigerian coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, at the
Rockview Hotel, Owerri, the Imo State capital.
The assault, which happened at about 6:00 p.m. was caused
by the decision of Golden Eaglets star, Kelechi Iheanacho,
to choose Galliano as his agent ahead of one recommended
by Amuneke.
As agent, Galliano would be responsible for arranging club
transfer deals for Ihenacho, a member of the world-
conquering Golden Eaglets. Iheanacho was selected by FIFA
as the best player of the just-concluded FIFA U17 World
Cup in the UAE.
He has since been linked to top European clubs including
FC Porto and Manchester City. Iheanacho has signed an
agent deal officially with Galliano with a copy of the
agreement sent to the secretariat of the Nigeria Football
Federation, NFF.
The agent also confirmed that a copy of the agreement with
Iheanacho was submitted to the NFF on October 21. In a chat
with PREMIUM TIMES, Galliano and his Nigerian partner,
Solomon Oluwaseun, accused Amuneke of assault; and
threatened to press charges against him.
They said the coach invited them for a meeting before he
got angry, saying that his (Amuneke's chosen) agent must be
the one to handle Iheanacho's transfer. "The coach invited
us, we went to see him and he started threatening Kelechi
that he should follow him to Abuja to sign with his agent
who is working with a Nasiru Jubril, a staff of the NFF; or else Nasiru, the man in charge of the ITC (International Transfer
Certificate), will not release kelechi's ITC to him and they
will both make sure that he is banned from Nigeria football;
also he will not get a good club.
"When the agent tried to talk back, the coach slapped him
and beat him up in the presence of over 25 people,"
Solomon said. In his comment, Galliano said he only came
to Nigeria to take Iheanacho abroad for club engagement;
and he didn't know why the coach threatened him.
"I came here to take Kelechi to his club. FC Porto and
Manchester City are interested in him but Manchester City
has a better package. This was our discussion and conclusion
when Mr. Amuneke sent for me, and asked me to go back to
my cousin.
"He called me names, beat me up and embarrassed me, he
said it's impossible to just take his players," Galliano said
while accusing Amuneke of racial statements.
Galliano, an American, said Keshi ordered Ihenacho to
follow him to Abuja and also threatened him; which made
the boy to burst into tears and went away.
"Kelechi is nowhere to be found, he started crying after the
threat made against him, the small boy is afraid and I hope
he will not lose hope. "Amuneke said he will delay his ITC
and deal with him, he called vulgar words, cursing the boys
and the players," he said.
When Reporters tried to speak to Iheanacho, but his phone
was switched off. His father, when contacted, declined
comment.
Amuneke, a Nations Cup winner in 1994 with the Super
Eagles, and current assistant coach of the Golden Eaglets,
confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that he assaulted the
American.
When contacted on phone, an angry Amuneke confirmed
that he slapped Galliano. He threatened to beat him up
again whenever he sees him. He, however, denied being
involved in the player's possible transfer.
"Yes, of course I slapped him very well and I will do it again
whenever I see him," Amuneke said. "He is an idiot, useless
white man, he wants to come and reap where he didn't sow.
"Kelechi is a nobody; yes, I said we helped him into the
team, made him, moulded him into what he is today, he
shouldn't allow anybody to fool him," the former winger said.
When asked the reason for his action and his rumoured
roles in Kelechi and other players transfer business,
Amuneke said, "I care so much for my players, I am a coach."
"I'm not an agent but I just look out for the boys.
He wants to come and sign a player just like that, he's an
idiot, I will not allow him. "Because the boy's parents are
poor and illiterate, he wants to use them.
We are Nigerians and we're not foolish," he added. Despite
Amuneke's denial, the shady involvement of Nigerian
coaches and football officials in the transfer of players to
foreign clubs is something muted and known by close
observers of Nigerian football.
A football website, Goal.com, recently revealed that Super
Eagles midfielder, Sunday Mba's move to a French club, was
scuttled because of the financial demands and
involvement of Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, and some
officials of the NFF. Mba had been unveiled by the French
club, Bastia, before he was forced to return to Nigeria.
The NFF also recently suspended a former Secretary
General of the Federation, Taiwo Ogunjobi, over the
latter's alleged involvement in the transfer of a Flying
Eagles forward, Olanrewaju Kayode.
Source: Premium Times
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