Nigerian U 23 striker Ubong Ekpai remains a bonafide player of Akwa United FC, according to a release made available to the press by the media officer of the club Uwem Ekoh.
The release stated that at no time did Akwa United negotiate the signing or the release of the player to Macaibi Haifa, not to talk of the payment of transfer fees and so on.
Quoting club chairman Paul Bassey, the release stated that after undue pressure from the club and the player, the club consented to his visiting Israel to ” see things for himself before deciding on whether he wants to play in Israel or not”.
“This came after we personally advised Ubong to have patience that as a key member of Sia Sia’s National U -23 squad to the Rio Olympics in August he is most likely to attract better offers especially from European clubs,” Mr Bassey was quoted as saying.
It is even on record that the chairman told Ekpai’s agent that the timing of the visit was wrong as Akwa United is in the fore front of the quest of returning to Africa through the league, but was assured that though the star striker will miss the Lobi Stars match that he will return in time for the Enyimba clash in Uyo in week 13.
“Should we decide to let Ekpai go to Israel or any other club for that matter, you can bet that it will only be after the current league season,” the release said.
“You can therefore imagine our shock when were told that Ubong Ekpai has signed. Is that how it is done? Have we entered into any agreement? Has a contract been formalised, have they paid? Ridiculous to say the least.
“As a club we will never stay in the way of a player who decides to move on in life by seeking greener pastures elsewhere but we owe it to our youth to advice them properly as the lure of the dollar can sometimes be deceptive. Meanwhile we take exception to the unprofessional behavior of Ekpai’s agent and the Israeli Club in declaring that Ekpai has signed with them, whereas nothing of such has been formalised and agreed by us.”
