MEET IBANGA MBETOBONG, A MALABITE & EX U17 PLAYER IN NIGERIA FOOTBALL FEDERATION WITH HIS PAINFUL STORY OF ENDING HIS PASSION & DREAM CAREER

IBANGA MBETOBONG made it to the away game against Republic of Congo in the CAF Rwanda 2011 African Nations cup qualifiers but unfortunately lost 0-2 to Republic of Congo of which he played in the 2nd half which his performance was bad though and after the game he was in severe pain on his knee when we got to Abuja after some days he was dropped from the home game and sent home alongside another of his colleague and his kits was taken away from him which was a disgrace to him while he was leaving the coach called him and gave him just a Nation team t-shirt as well he was paid 120 dollars.

The coach knew he was injured but he sent him home just like that without asking the doctors to look into his injury added that he was very scared to openly tell them because there was serious tension everywhere ,who will listen to him and his career was left for dead added he was in excrutiating pains on his knee.. that incident led to the end of his footballing career.

He was taken for an MRI scan for #90,000 and the result showed his meniscus was torn and he had to go for a knee operation that will cost over 500,000 but didn\’t have the operation instantly which he spent close to a year before going for the knee operation which by then most of his colleagues had signed for clubs in Europe and Nigeria but he couldn\’t graduate because of the injury and the injury didn\’t only cost his graduation from signing for club but it took away his future as a footballer.

All these time, his coach In the national team visited the Academy twice and found out that he was about going for an operation . He told one of his colleagues in the national team that he knew he was injured all these while. He didn\’t report his case to the Nigerian football federation probably because we lost out on securing the ticket to the CAF Rwanda under17.

After a year, his academy through the funds of Kwara State Government paid for him to undergo knee operation…He underwent knee operation in the University of Ibadan Teaching Hospital. It was during the operation, He was told by the surgeon that he had already develop osteoarthritis and that his knee had already started wearing out which means he had already develop knee disease due to the longtime he stayed with the injury without treating it with an operation.. the Surgeon was Professor Temitope Alonge the Team Chief Medical Director of University of Ibadan Teaching Hospital but he is the Oyo State Covid-19 Chairman.

He told him, He had just 5 years to play football that he should pack his bags that it is over for him sadly all his hardwork, training , prayer was for nothing as he watched his dreams die before his own eyes.

He didn\’t tell his boss what the surgeon told him until after 2 years then no club signed him officially then he started feeling instability on his knee that\’s when he decided to call it a quit by himself because he can\’t afford to go through that trauma again especially if the injury reoccurs, who will get his time again so he told his boss the Whiteman that he was leaving the academy but he didn\’t tell him main reasons because he was very angry with him and told him that he doesn\’t want to see him again after all what the academy has done for him.

When he returned back to Calabar he almost committed suicide if not for GOD\’s help until he spent 7 years without achieving anything such a wasted years because he didn\’t know where to start his life again but GOD\’s Grace is what saw him through from ending his life.

The sufferings and pains of life he have been through, the was a restaurant boy serving food at a restuarant close to fine field filling station at Goldie the place is now a Photoshot studio, he went to market to pack rubbers for people for #50, #50,that he did for 4years plus even till his years 3…all this is just to sponsor himself through school, He sold goat bones in watt market and its been 12 years now, and he\’s still suffering from the pains of osteoarthritis.

All thanks to the Vice Chancellor of University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi who has also offered assistance especially She referred him to the people who helped attended to his complaints..
It was while thanking her on social media that Mr. Gbenga Rosiji saw it and his status as a Nigeria Under17 player, he linked him up with the Punch Newspaper who contacted him and published his story.