A Johannesburg-based Akwa Ibom indigene and longtime family friend of South African international footballer Ime Daniel Okon, Mr Francis Akpan, has disclosed that Okon has said it would be impossible for him to play for Nigeria.
Akpan spoke with our correspondent in a telephone interview, explaining why representing Nigeria is no longer an option for the player.
He said Okon has insisted that South Africa is the only country he truly considers home despite his Nigerian roots.
Akpan said, “I knew his father very well before he passed away. The boy has always lived in South Africa. He has told us he cannot play for Nigeria because he was never approached and knows virtually nothing about the country.”
Okon was born in Johannesburg in 2004 to a Nigerian father from Akwa Ibom State but has never visited Nigeria and has had no connection with the country’s football system.
The former
