ESSIEN, MUNTARI STORM LAGOS FOR KANU TESTIMONIAL GAME

Posted: Apr 12, 2011

Chelsea of England super star, Michael Essien has joined the growing list of football greats who have confirmed their participation in a testimonial football game are to honour erstwhile Super Eagles captain, Nwankwo Kanu.

 

Kanu, who retired as Super Eagles skipper after the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa is being honoured with a testimonial game slated for the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos in June.

 

Confirmation of Essien’s participation was revealed last night by Worldwide Ventures Limited,the company saddled with the responsibility of organising the match.

 

Mr. Ayo Gam-Ikon of Worldwide Ventures said they had been in touch with Essien who assured that he would be ready to dash to Lagos to play for his ‘friend’.

 

“We have spoken to him (Essien) and he assured us that he would not mind coming to Lagos to play for Kanu,” said Gam, who pointed out that Essien was also at Fratton Park a couple of years ago to play in the ‘Kanu and Friends Charity Match’, which was used to raise funds for the Kanu Heart Foundation.

 

“In fact he (Essien) surprised us because despite playing a full 90 minutes in Chelsea’s FA Cup win over Manchester United at Wembley 24 hours earlier, he not only drove to Portsmouth but he insisted on staying on the field for another 90 minutes!” recalled Gam of the 2007 match.

 

Incidentally it was in that charity match that another Ghanaian international,Sulley Muntari was introduced to English football and was promptly signed on by then Pompey manager, Harry Redknapp.

 

Another notable star who has pledged his availability for the June outing is Cameroon skipper, Samuel Eto Fils, who said he was impressed with Kanu’s efforts at rehabilitating children with heart defects.

 

Eto, who has won more African Footballer of the Year titles than any other player from the continent, also runs a number of charities back home in Cameroon.

 

A very delighted Kanu said he was happy that footballers across the African continent were ready to help him realise his dream of setting up a modern state of the art heart hospital in Abuja.

 

“It shows that we footballers do care about helping the less privileged in the society,” said Kanu, one of the most decorated footballers to have come out of Africa.