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 SuperSport United defender told an international media outlet recently that his late father, a wrestler, never took him to Nigeria or introduced him to football authorities in Nigeria while he was growing up.
According to him, although he was eligible to represent the Super Eagles through his father, that opportunity has effectively passed, as he has already committed his international future to South Africa’s senior national team, Bafana Bafana.
“I know where my heart lies. South Africa is the only home I have known,” Okon said, explaining that his upbringing and football development were entirely in South Africa.
Why it is impossible for Akwa Ibom-born Bafana Bafana defender to play for Nigeria – Akpan