12/07/2026
I believe many people have seen the trending podcast where Super Eagles captain Moses Simon claimed that Enugu Rangers refused to sign him because he is not Igbo.
If you watch the interview carefully, you'll notice that he never said anyone at Rangers told him he was rejected because of his ethnicity. Instead, he simply assumed that was the reason. For someone of his status, a professional footballer and captain of the Nigerian national team, that is a disappointing conclusion to draw without evidence. It is even more worrying that many people have accepted the claim as fact.
Before I address the Rangers squad of the 2013/2014 season, let's remember that football trials work the same way all over the world.
Pedri had a trial at Real Madrid but was not signed. Today, he is one of Barcelona's biggest stars.
Kylian Mbappé also had a trial at Chelsea, yet the club didn't sign him.
Players are rejected during trials every single day, not because they are from a particular tribe or nationality, but because clubs have specific qualities they are looking for at that moment.
Two goalkeepers can attend the same trial, and only one gets selected. It doesn't automatically mean the other goalkeeper isn't talented. The chosen one may simply fit the coach's style better, perhaps because of his ball distribution, communication, or ability to organize the defense.
In Moses Simon's case, nobody publicly told him that he wasn't selected because he is not Igbo. That appears to be his personal assumption. Such a sensitive claim should not come from the captain of the Super Eagles, especially in a country like Nigeria, where tribal tensions already exist.
Professional athletes are role models. Their words carry weight and can easily influence public opinion. That is why they must be careful before making statements that could deepen ethnic divisions.
More importantly, the facts do not support the claim.
The Rangers squad of the 2013/2014 season included players from different ethnic backgrounds: a Ghanaian, four Northern players, four Yoruba players, one Urhobo player, and one Ibibio player. Even Itodo Ikor, who is from the Idoma ethnic group, the same ethnic background as Moses Simon, was signed by Rangers during that same period.
These facts clearly show that Rangers were not exclusively signing Igbo players.
Instead of accepting that he may simply not have met the club's requirements at the time, Moses Simon chose to attribute the decision to tribalism without presenting any evidence.
As captain of the Super Eagles, he should know better. His comments have the potential to create unnecessary division and cast unfair accusations against a club with a long history of signing players from different parts of Nigeria and beyond.
For that reason, Moses Simon should publicly apologise to Enugu Rangers for the statement.
