Nigeria: Kanu Heads to Accra for Essien, Confirms Toure Brothers for Testimonial

Tunde Sulaiman

23 May 2011

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Football Ambassador, Nwankwo Kanu will be in the Ghanaian capital, Accra on Wednesday at the behest of Chelsea star, Michael Essien even as he confirmed that the Toure brothers, Kolo and Yaya, have become the latest football stars to signal their intention to take part in his Testimonial taking place next month.

Speaking from his home in London Sunday, the former Super Eagles skipper said he was looking forward to making the trip to Ghana to help his friend in his charity drive.

“I’m looking forward to taking part in the charity match in Accra because it is for a very good cause. I’ve known Michael (Essien) since he joined Chelsea and although I’ve often been on the end of defeats (laughing) we have always remained friends. After all we are both professionals doing our jobs,” he said.

The Essien game is taking place on Wednesday and Kanu plans to also use the occasion to make a whistle stop visit to Nigeria to put some finishing touches to his testimonial coming up on June 11 in Lagos.

“Yes I will spend some time in Lagos to catch up with the programme for the testimonial. But I can tell you that everything is on course to put on a good show for Nigerians.”

He also used the occasion to disclose that Kolo Toure called him over the weekend to tell him that he too would be in Lagos along with his brother for the testimonial.

“I had left word on his answering matching and he called back to give me the good news that he would be available. He also said he would be coming to Lagos with his younger brother, Yaya,” said Kanu.

Although currently suspended from professional football after it was revealed on March 3 that he had failed a drug test, Kolo Toure can play in Lagos because the Testimonial is more like a knock about between friends.

The Elephants’ defender and the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) Ambassador became close during their time at Arsenal and have been friends ever since, which manifested with Kolo taking part in the 2008 Kanu Heart Foundation Charity match played at Fratton Park, the ground of Kanu’s club, Portsmouth.

Toure joined Premier League team Arsenal in February 2002 from ASEC Mimosas for a fee of £150,000 after a short trial, while Kanu spent five years with the Gunners after joining in 1999.

However, after seven seasons at the Emirates, 30-year-old Kolo moved to Manchester City for £16 million, where he was a regular before his recent doping incident.

Midfielder, Yaya, who is two years younger than his older brother, became the highest paid Premiership player at the beginning of the season when he joined Manchester City from Barcelona.

According to the British media, Yaya offered a basic wage of £185000 a week before tax to make the switch to join his brother at the Eastlands.

Other high profile players who have also committed to spending some time in Lagos early next month include Senegalese footballer, El Hadji Diouf, Ghanaian stars Michael Essien, Asamoah Gyan, Sulley Muntari, Samuel Eto and Emmanuel Adebayor, who are skippers of Cameroon and Togo respectively.

However, since the Testimonial is not only about current football stars, some former stars who have also graciously agreed to make the long journey to Nigeria for the three-time FA Cup winner, include the de Boer twins, Frank and Ronald, Frank Rijkaard and Patrick Kluivert, who incidentally where all members of the victorious Ajax side, which dazzled all the way to European glory in 1995, with Nigerian stars Kanu and Finidi George in the thick of the action.

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