Warri Wolves, Rangers row ruined my career- 2013 AFCON hero, Mba

A former Nigerian international, Sunday Mba, has revealed that transfer disputes between Warri Wolves and Enugu Rangers played a major role in derailing his opportunity to secure a move to top clubs in Europe. Speaking in an interview with AY Sugar on YouTube, the attacking midfielder — who became one of the standout stars of […]

A former Nigerian international, Sunday Mba, has revealed that transfer disputes between Warri Wolves and Enugu Rangers played a major role in derailing his opportunity to secure a move to top clubs in Europe.
Speaking in an interview with AY Sugar on YouTube, the attacking midfielder — who became one of the standout stars of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa — recounted how a transfer tussle between the two Nigerian clubs halted his progress after the tournament.
Mba, who famously scored the winning goal against Burkina Faso in the final to hand Nigeria its third AFCON title under coach Stephen Keshi, explained that both Warri Wolves and Enugu Rangers claimed ownership of his contract following his breakout performance.
The midfielder described the situation as one of the most frustrating moments of his career, noting that the lack of clarity over his contract rights “stalled [his] career at its peak.” He added that by the time the issue was resolved, the opportunity to make a high-profile move abroad had already slipped away.
“Nigeria happened, you know, after the AFCON. There was this issue about the transfer — Wolves, Rangers. See, there’s nothing like Wolves loan to Rangers. If you play here, you’re done. You want to move, you move. There was nothing like contract that year. So, if you play and you’re done where you are, you can switch to another club.
“So I left Warri Wolves back to Rangers. But then, because the league had not started — you know those days when they used to postpone or abridge the league — we didn’t start at the original August. We started late, like December or January. That period now dragged till the Nations Cup where nobody expected we’d be that hot.
“Now I came back from AFCON and both clubs began to drag me saying ‘I was their boy’. It messed me up because that thing lingered for like six to eight months. Nobody wanted a player that was having issues with two clubs.
“I went to France after everything. And then NFF came to a conclusion like, “Okay, he’s now a free player, let him go,” you know, stuff like that. But most of those clubs that wanted me before had already chosen someone else. That was how I went to France,” he said.