EMMANUEL Emenike, West Ham’s newly-signed striker, may have moved on to bigger things after the match fixing allegation that rocked his career in Turkey.
But the Nigerian won’t forget that episode in a hurry so much he tagged it as his ‘most traumatic moment’ in life. The former Al Ain striker recounted how he spent four days in Istanbul prison after he was robed in a match fixing scandal while playing for Karabukspor.
In May 2011, Emenike was accused of faking injury to avoid playing against Fenerbahce due to transfer negotiation between the two clubs for the Nigerian striker. He was later acquitted in one of the biggest football trials in Europe that saw the president of Fenerbahce, Aziz Yildirim, go to jail for six years.
“I was treated like a common criminal,” states a very emotional Emenike. “I cried like a baby because it was strange to me.”
He continues: “At a point, the trauma was so much for me to bear, so I had to go for counselling. After I was released, it was difficult for me to concentrate. There was no way I could remain with Fenerbahce and be focused.
It was a bad and wicked experience. At that point, it was not about the money or passion but about my life and my happiness, so when the Spartak Moscow offer came I quickly jumped at it.
“The fans did not want me to go but I just had to because the prison trauma had affected me psychologically. In addition, it was an emotional day for me when I returned to the club in the UEFA Champions League qualifying match. I received a rousing welcome at the Istanbul Airport; they kept saying I was wanted in Fenerbahce, but I had put Istanbul behind me forever.”
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