Former Nigeria youth international Emmanuel Sarki has explained why he left the country to play for Haiti.
Sarki shined with the Golden Eaglets, Flying Eagles, and U-23s.
The Kaduna-born winger looked to be bound for the Super Eagles, but in 2014, he was called up to the Haitian national team.
This was his first call-up to Nigeria’s U-23 squad in eight years.
Sarki has now revealed that when contacted about paying to play for Nigeria, he declined.
After finding that he was qualified through his maternal grandfather, the forward was overjoyed at the prospect of playing for the Grenadiers.
“There were people demanding I pay £5,000 just to make sure Nigeria called me up.
“What? I have to pay to play football for my country? No way, I’m not doing that. But my grandfather had come from Haiti to Nigeria as a missionary, I had his birth certificate, and there was another Haitian in the team at Wisla, who called the Haitian Football Federation president and told him all about me,” Sarki told the Athletic.
However, Sarki has stopped playing football because of his air sickness.
He added: “It was too stressful for me. I said to them I was really sorry but I’m done. I don’t want to travel that far. I was throwing up on the flights; I felt dizzy.”
“To represent them was really amazing but now I’m getting old. I’m 33, taking it easy, just balling. I have a young son, Samuel, and my fiancee is Polish. I am home.”
