Nigerian footballer Moses Simon has revealed that he was denied a professional contract by Enugu Rangers because of tribalism, despite impressing during his trial.
Speaking on Urban Dwells Sports, the Super Eagles winger said he spent three months at Enugu Rangers but was eventually dropped, not because of his ability, but because he was not Igbo.
“I never told anyone this story before, but it’s crazy,” Simon said. “That year, I was dropped because I was not Igbo. It wasn’t because of my game; it was just tribalism.”
He recalled that another player joined the club, trained for just one week, and was immediately offered a professional contract, while he remained unsigned despite spending months with the team.
“I had been there for three months. An Igbo guy came, I’ve forgotten his name. He trained for one week and they signed him to a professional contract. I had been there for months. I was even his captain,” he said.
Simon added that he was later told the decision was based on his ethnic background.
“They said it was because you are from the North,” he recalled, describing the experience as one he had never spoken about publicly before.
