Okocha, Kanu Trapped In Turkey

Nigerian football legends, Nwankwo Kanu and Austin Jay Jay Okocha got stuck in Turkey following a failed coup which happened in the country on Friday, July 15.

Kanu and Okocha were in Turkey for the charity game organised by Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o which was scheduled to hold on Saturday, July 16 in Antalaya. Eto’o has now postponed the charity game-which is to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of his Fundación Privadao- following the unrest in Turkey.

 An attempted coup on Friday, July 15 which left several hundreds dead had the whole country in disarray leading to the postponement of the match. The Nigerian greats alongside a number of football stars were already in Antalya to support Eto’o when the failed coup was staged. Ghana’s Stephen Appiah and Michael Essien and Ivory Coast’s Kolo Toure were some of the African football stars already in the country.

The football stars are all safe and are currently returning to their respective bases. Marcel Desailly, Carles Puyol, Deco and former England manager Fabio Capello were also in Turkey for the game. The likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar, Luis Suarez, Diego Maradona, Eden Hazard, Didier Drogba and Arda Turan were all scheduled to play in a game between a World Stars side and Turkey Stars team. Eto’o’s Fundación Privada was created 10 years ago as a non-profit organisation striving to raise awareness of the needs of the African continent.