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Sunday Mba yells after his goal for Nigeria in AFCON Final. Photo Credit: AP

A major transfer battle was waged between Chelsea and Manchester United in 2005, over John Obi Mikel, who was in the middle of a contract dustup. The issue got so much attention after his display when Nigeria came second at the FIFA U-20 World Cup that it caused Sepp Blatter, the FIFA President, to make a comment. The issue lingered for months, leaving the player without a club. It also involved regular back-and-forth communication between the club reps and his agent. It was resolved after Chelsea, which he preferred, settled Manchester United and Oslo FC in Norway, where he played. The African Cup of Nations, AFCON 2013, where Nigeria triumphed, saw the introduction of a star, Sunday Mba, to the world, after his winning goals, against Cote D’Ivoire in the quarter final, and Burkina Faso in the final. Sunday rose to limelight, and was sought after by European clubs after the competition. Then claims by Warri Wolves and the club he reportedly signed up with before the competition, Enugu Rangers, over his ownership, began. Both clubs claimed ownership of his contract, insisting that they be party to his transfer to Europe. The player received support from the Nigerian Football Federation about resolving the issue, and they set up a committee to look into it. Mba was mum, publicly, about the issue until last week, when he said, “I signed a contract with Rangers even before I left for South Africa for the 2013 AFCON and I am surprised Wolves are saying Rangers have no right of ownership over me. Wolves are aware of this and I am surprised they are saying I am still their player.” Wolves didn’t back down after his statement, claiming that they have valid reasons to desire involvement in his transfer to Europe. Speaking about the issue, with knowledge of how protracted transfer sagas may be and the not-playing status of Mba at this time, Super Eagles Coach Stephen Keshi says, “I may be forced to drop Mba from the team if his transfer issues are not sorted out. If by our next game, they have not resolved the problem I may not invite him.” This means he might miss the match against Kenya, and subsequent ones, if both clubs refuse to come to terms about his contract soon. The coach acknowledged his preference for foreign-based players this time, stating “I invited 15 foreign-based players because the Nigeria league is just starting. The foreign-based players have been regular at their clubs and as such their fitness level is very high. Most of our local boys are rusty but we shall see how it goes in our training camp.” This preference factor may keep Sunday Mba out, but he will likely feature at the Confederation’s Cup in June, where Nigeria will line up against European and World Champions, Spain. Nigeria’s World Cup Qualifier against Kenya comes up March 23, in Calabar.