Alen set
to be unlikely Super Eagle!
Hibs star's opportunity for
back-door entry to World Cup Finals! - STUART CROWTHER
WHEN THE STORY FIRST
BROKE on the Hibs.net message board two weeks ago, it was treated with
some mirth and more than a little incredulity. But yesterday the
only person still laughing was Alen Orman, as it now looks a very real
possibility that the Hibs star could feature in next Summer's World Cup
Finals - for Nigeria!
It was
first revealed in a Nigerian national newspaper that Orman had written to
their national football authorities offering his services.
Bosnian-born Orman is set to marry his Nigerian girlfriend, and the son of
a former Bosnian professional footballer who fled his war-torn country
with his family to Austria is now it seems being seriously considered for
Nigerian nationality - and as an as-yet uncapped player, he is set to star
for the 'Super Eagles', and that could mean Orman facing up to England in
the finals next year.
"Alen
wants to play for the country of his future wife. I don't think the
fact that he is white will cause problems,"
Orman's agent Eddie Brumner said last night, confirming that even this
most unlikely of stories had grown legs! Brumner added: "If
people judge Alen purely on how he plays football then I am sure he will
qualify for the World Cup squad and add a lot of quality to their
side. I have been assured he will be judged in that way and that
people will only be interested in how well he plays football. He has
had a tough time in the past and is a strong person - Nigeria is a big
footballing nation and who would not want to take the chance to play for
them?"
Alen Orman - soon to be a 'Super Eagle'? (sns)
Orman
is due to be married in the next few weeks, and plans to submit an
application for a Nigerian passport. If as expected his nationality
application is accepted, he will then qualify to play for his new national
side and will be in line for a place in the African Nations Cup as the
first white player ever to turn out for Nigeria. Should the Hibs man
do well then he could expect a place in Nigeria's World Cup squad in what
would be one of the most remarkable moves in world football! It is a
situation that is bound to start a major debate on the international
status of players around the world, as it would seem Orman has to an
extent been head-hunted by the Nigerian FA, as Brumner said: "I
spoke to people in the Nigerian FA and when they asked me for a specific
type of player I knew Alen was right for them. They watched videos
of him and they liked what they saw. I am not surprised because he
has improved immensely since going to Scotland."
Former
Wimbledon star John Fashanu is these days the Nigerian Ambassador for
Sport confirmed the possibility of Orman starring for his country, saying:
"It would be unusual but we would welcome a white player to the
country. We already have Nigerians playing for the Russian and
Polish national sides, so I can't see anything wrong with
this." Hibernian as the
first Scottish club to ever instigate an active policy on racism will be
delighted at the move, which is seen by Fashanu as a positive move in the
fight against racism in football He said: "It
will be a great leveller for racism, it is a bright and shining
star."
Hibs
boss Franck Sauzee may not be quite so keen on the whole idea.
Sauzee is already facing up to a stern battle with the Ecuador FA over
release of Ulises de la Cruz for pre-World Cup warm up matches.
Former Hibs boss Alex McLeish faxed the Ecuador authorities asking that a
reasonable stance be taken to allow De La Cruz to settle into life in
Edinburgh, however national coach Herman Gomez is continuing to insist
that all players in his 30-man squad, including De La Cruz, are released
for every warm-up game.
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