Former Super Eagles player, Femi
Opabunmi, who has fallen from grace
to grass. The Oyo state born player who
was a member of the Super Eagles
squad to the Japan 2002 World Cup
under Coach Adegboye Onigbinde is
now penniless and gradually going
blind.
According to Saturday SUN,Opabunmi
last played for Shooting Stars of Ibadan
in the local scene. He played for a few
clubs abroad, including Grasshoppers
Zurich (Switzerland) and Chamois
Niortais in France.
He was in fact the 3rd youngest player
to ever play in the World Cup finals
after Norman Whiteside and Samuel
Eto’o. At the 2001 FIFA U-17 World
Championship, Trindad and Tobago,
Opabunmi scored a hat-trick against
Australia and won himself the Silver
Shoe as second highest goal scorer and
also the Bronze Ball as third best player
in the tournament.
In 2008, he went on an eye surgery and
has not played professional football
since then.
In December 2006, as he was training
one day, he suddenly felt a sharp pain
in his eyes. And he could not see the
ball again.His vision became blurred
and he decided to see an optician. He
was told that in a few days he could be
blind if he did not have surgery. He
went for it and the surgeon said it was
a success.
He was expecting to see again, but there
was no improvement. He visited the
doctor and other hospitals in Paris
without a solution. And they told him
that his problem was a complex case.
That began Opabunmi’s journey to
partial blindness and financial misery.
Today, the player who was one of the
large hearted players in the Eagles says
he cant even afford N5,000 of his own,
unlike when in his playing days, he
bought cars for some people out of
charity.
Although he admitted things are tough
for him now, he insisted that he does
not beg on the streets of
Ibadan, his hometown.
Enjoy the Excerpts of this exclusive
interview the SUN had with him…
Are you still playing football now?
No I am not playing any longer because
of my sight problem.
What happened?
When I was experiencing an eye
problem, I reported to a Doctor who
diagnosed it and said I had to go for an
operation.
After the operation I noticed that I have
lost one of my eyes. And I started going
for medical check-up. I was told that the
problem was becoming complicated.
Right now, you can only see with one eye?
Yes, I can now see with only one eye.
The other one has gone totally blind.
What are you doing at the moment?
I must tell you I am not doing anything
at the moment. I want to gather my self
back, now I do one or two things to put
body and soul together.
I also want to finish my coaching course
so that I get back on my feet.
It was once reported that Femi Opabunmi
was seen on Ibadan streets begging; how
true is this?
It is not true that I go about Ibadan
streets begging. I don’t go out, I
normally stay indoors, so those who
said they had seen me begging are
making a mole out of the mountain. It
is not true to be honest with you. But I
always go to my friends, we sit
together, we laugh and talk things over.
And I don’t know where they have seen
me begging on the street. I have a
brother, sister and my mum is there
also. At least they are doing something.
If I have course to beg for anything, I
can go to them. They can ‘raise me up’
if they have. I don’t know where people
got the story they are writing that
Opabunmi turns to beggar. I think it is
tarnishing one’s image.
But Femi is it true that things are very
tough for you at the moment?
Yes things are tough for me at the
moment, but not for people to say
Opabunmi turns to a beggar. God
forbid, Opabunmi is not a beggar. I
reject that in Jesus name. Things are
hard for me but not up to that extent.
You can imagine someone who was
dashing people money before, buying
cars for people and now I can hardly
count five Thousand Naira of my own.
It’s that bad for me now.
What is your advise to football
administrators concerning those who are
still playing and those who have retired
from the game?
They should be honest and truthful with
players, especially in the area of
players’ bonus. If it is 10 Pounds they
are giving them, they should stick to it
and not say one thing and do another.
If they promise any remuneration for
players they should ensure these players
get it. I also want players to learn from
my mistake. I had money.
I was borrowing people money. Friends
were always around me, but today, it is
past tense.
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