How Nigeria tried to 'poach' Joetex Asamoah Frimpong from Ghana

Former Ghana international, Joetex Asamoah-Frimpong has opened up about how Nigeria attempted to convince him to ditch Ghana and play for the Super Eagles.

Joetex who spent his most part of his life years in Nigeria after his family migrated from Ghana, stated that he was approached multiple times with the offer but ultimately turned it down.

Joetex who started his career in the Nigeria stated although Nigerians were aware of his Ghanaian roots, they still wanted him to represent their national team. He recounted an incident where he had a disagreement with the Nigerian coach during a match.

“They knew I was Ghanaian but they wanted me to play for Nigeria. I got into a problem with their U-23 coach then. The ball went out and I went for it and he was trying to kick the ball and that resulted in a quarrel. I told him, you thought I was a Nigerian so you can underrate me. I am not going to play for Nigeria. He was the coach who invited me to Nigeria U23,” the former Black Stars striker said on E.TV Ghana.

He admitted that he was initially tempted by the Nigerian offer but his father was against the idea of him joining the Super Eagles.

Joetex gained recognition in Ghana following his exploits in Nigeria and was eventually invited to the Ghana national team.

The former Enyimba F.C. striker said, “I wanted to go but my dad said no. He told me to play for Ghana. Ghana had not invited me but he told me not to play for Nigeria. I don’t know if he knew Ghana was going to invite me because it didn’t take long and Ghana invited me.

Reflecting on his decision, Joetex stated that he was happy to play for Ghana but can't be certain if it was the best decision.

“I was happy Ghana called me but I can’t tell if it’s a good decision. I was the best in the whole of Nigeria. Maybe I would have gone far if I played for Nigeria,” Joetex told E.TV in an interview.

JNA/KPE