A telephone call from the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Melvin Pinnick, has ensured Super Eagles’ forward, Emmanuel Emenike, regained his groove following a gunman’s attack on his Turkish Super Lig club, Fenerbahce FC, bus at the weekend.
The big Nigerian striker had told of the horror of himself and teammates after a gunman fired a shot at the team bus, injuring the driver, as the contingent headed to the Trabzon Airport after a 5-1 Super Lig win over fellow Super Eagles Godfrey Oboabona’s Rizespor FC.
Pinnick said after speaking with Emenike on Monday, minutes after the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations top scorer arrived in Milan, Italy: “He was happy I called to extend the sympathy of the NFF and Nigeria football family to him, and to assure him that we are with him at this period and also monitoring the situation with keen interest.
“Such incidents are not good for football.”
The Turkish Super Lig has been suspended for a week as a result of the incident.
It was the second psychological torment for the Eagles’ forward in weeks, as he was booed by his own fans during the first half of another Super Lig match against Besiktas FC and asked to be substituted.