Ibanga Mbetobong, a former player of the Under 17 Nigerian National Team (Golden Eaglets), has appealed to members of the public for financial assistance to help him undergo an osteoarthritis surgery which cost millions of naira.
Mbetobong, who played in Rwanda’s 2011 Under 17 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, wearing jersey number 17, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Calabar.
Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis that occurs when flexible tissue at the ends of bones wears down.
He told NAN that he discovered he had a knee problem while training, and thereafter, he started playing with the help of a knee guard and taking drugs that relieved the pain.
According to him, on Aug. 29, 2010, they played the first match of the AFCON U17 qualifiers against the Republic of Congo in Pointe Noire, Congo, with the Nigerian team losing to Congo by 2-0.
On the return leg in Nigeria, he said that he could not play the match because his knee had started affecting his performance.
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“We couldn’t proceed beyond the qualifier stage because at home, the Nigerian U17 team played a 1-1 draw with the Republic of Congo and so they won by a 3-1 aggregate.
“I was playing in Kwara Academy before they spotted me to play in the U17 qualifiers. I was 16 years then.
“Sadly, I couldn’t graduate with my teammates from Kwara Academy to be signed by different clubs across the globe; hence my football career came to an end.
“My former club, Kwara Academy, took me then for a Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan at the University of Ibadan Teaching Hospital and it was discovered that I won’t be able to play football beyond five years.
“I must commend my former club, Kwara Academy for taking my bills in the first surgery I had. My appeal to members of the public is to help me go for the second surgery.
Mbetobong is currently a final year student of the Department of History and International Studies, University of Calabar and also, a former Director of Sport in the department.
He appealed to good-spirited individuals, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Nigerian Strikers, Ahmed Musa, Kelechi Iheanacho, Victor Osimen, Alex Iwobi, Mikel Obi, and many others to come to his aid.
While soliciting help, he gave out his account number: 2021907661, UBA, and his contact number as 08135578008. (NAN)
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