Skip to main content

My dad flogged me anytime I played football – Uzoho

Super Eagles goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho, says his father never supported him playing football, adding that he got flogged anytime he disobeyed his advice.

The national team first choice made this known during a live Instagram chat with ng_supereagles on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old made his Nigeria debut on November 14, 2017, replacing Daniel Akpeyi in a 4–2 friendly win against Argentina and has since gone on to play 14 times rimes for the Eagles.

“My dad was against me playing football because education was the priority in our family,” Uzoho said.

“He flogged me anytime I went to play football. He often gave me Mathematics assignment just to keep me busy and prevent me from playing football.

“But I still found my out even if it was just for five minutes and I knew the implication.

“It was my coach back then that convinced my dad to allow me to pursue my career and he loosened up a bit, but that didn’t mean I still didn’t get beaten by him.

“Despite the amount of beating I received from my dad, I never stopped pursuing my career and I thank God for today.”

The Deportivo La Coruña keeper also talked on his 2013 U-17 World Cup experience, where he was an unused substitute, as the country won a fourth title.

“The 2013 U-17 World Cup was a big experience for me despite the fact that I didn’t get the chance to take part in the tournament,” he added.

“But I was happy seeing some quality players from other countries. It was a big moment for me and it taught me something that if I could be there at the World Cup, I could be anything that I wanted to be in the future.”

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

‘Lockdown affecting Ramadan sales’

Some food vendors in Lagos metropolis yesterday lamented the shortfalls in their sales during the Ramadan. According to them, many people who patronised the food vendors did not show up to buy food for Iftar (breaking of fast) and Sahur (early hour meal). The Nation also observed that not many food sellers engage in the brisk business this year. Usually, between 3am and 6:30am, the streets of Lagos are busy with food vendors preparing dishes. Many men who don’t have wives at home patronise the food vendors. The food vendors are also the toast of some couples, who find it difficult to wake up in the early hours to cook. Mrs Folasade Ayoola, who sells food on Lagos Island, said she had been incurring debts due to wastage of the meals. “We bought foodstuff and pepper at a higher price in the market, hoping to make good sales from those who are fasting, but the reverse is the case. People are not forthcoming like the previous Ramadan,” she said. According to her, some of t...

COVID-19: Buhari has no direction, protect yourselves – PDP cautious Nigerians

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has urged Nigerians to ensure personal safety. It claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari has ran out of ideas regarding COVID-19. PDP said as the lockdown is relaxed, Nigerians should protect themselves because Buhari and his government have no plans to rescue them from the jaws of COVID-19. A statement by PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan said Buhari had failed to find direction in the fight against the spread of the virus. PDP charged Nigerians not to “resign to fate and jeopardize their lives following President Buhari’s failure to find direction in the fight against the spread of COVID-19 in our country despite the huge resources at his disposal.” The opposition party also described the Presidential Task Foce on COVID-19 as incompetent. PDP said Buhari Presidency and its “incompetent Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 had compounded the situation by crippling the economy after which they are now leaving Ni...

All Aboard..! Steering Nigeria’s COVID-19 Action Train

The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Nigeria on the 27th of February 2020. Just a little over two months ago and, yet, it feels like a lifetime has elapsed. The world we lived in then, is so much different from the one we are about to be released into, as the lockdown restrictions are lifted. When the lockdown was announced by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 27th of March, there were 65 confirmed cases in the country and the President’s Chief of Staff had just tested positive for the virus. Today, we have confirmed over 2000 cases, and many of our beloved fellow citizens (more than 50) are no longer with us, having fallen in the wake of this novel coronavirus. May the souls of the departed rest in peace, and to those of us who remain on the journey of life, may God grant wisdom. We need it, desperately, at this time to navigate the complexities ahead. The month we spent sheltering in place was, without question, challenging; but in our isolation there was an odd sort of t...