How Corruption Prevented Me From Becoming A Footballer – Crayon

Posted by Nwa Diokpa Entertainment News, Latest Headlines Saturday, August 26th, 2023

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Nigerian singer, Charles Chibuezechukwu, better known as Crayon, has opened up on how some top officials of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, killed his football career after they sidelined him from a national team selection for someone from a wealthy background.

Crayon stated this during an interview with Cool FM Nigeria in Lagos saying that he was selected to be part of a national youth team in 2015 but was later dropped by some corrupt officials.
According to the singer, this incident contributed to the depression he suffered in 2015.

Crayon said, “I became depressed in 2015 because I couldn’t get into the university. All my friends were in school. At that time I was really close to my friends. I was the youngest among my friends. Every time they are around is always fun. Then they all got admitted to the universities in Ghana, Benin, etc. I was just me in the hood.

“It was so boring. I didn’t have anything to do, nowhere to go. And my footballing career at that time wasn’t really kicking off for me as well. I used to play football. I used to be a proper footballer. They called me ‘Coutinho’ in my hood. You know prime Coutinho who played for Liverpool?

“I tried to become a professional footballer but it didn’t work out for me because football in Nigeria is quite dicey. There is a lot of corruption. I don’t want to mention names because it might hurt some people. They are big names; top [football] officials.

“At a time I went for one screening in Surulere [National Stadium], they [NFF officials] picked me and they had to like swindle me and pick someone else because the person had money and connections. So, at that point, I became disappointed. I went home depressed.”