Super Eagles winger Moses Simon has alleged that he was denied a professional contract by Enugu Rangers because of tribalism, despite impressing during a three-month trial with the club.
Speaking on Urban Dwells Sports, the Nigerian international said he had never publicly shared the experience, describing it as one of the most disappointing moments of his early football career.
“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.”
The Nantes forward recalled that while he spent three months training with the club, another player allegedly joined the team, trained for only one week and was immediately offered a professional contract.
“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.
According to Simon, he was later informed that the decision not to sign him was based on his ethnic background.
“They said it was because you are from the North,” he recalled.
The 30-year-old said the incident remains one he had never spoken about publicly until now.
