Onyekachi Okonkwo
Encyclopedia
Onyekachi Donatus Okonkwo or Simply Tico (born 13 May 1982 in Aba
, Nigeria
) is a Nigeria
n football (soccer)
midfielder
. His name, Onyekachi, means "Who is greater than his godly guarding?".
During his two-year stay in South Africa he was arguably one of the club's most influential players even scoring the decisive goal against his former club Enyimba
to lead the Johannesbrg-based club to the 2006 MTN CAF Champions League
semifinals.
At the same time he had a huge record of ill-discipline and unsporting behaviour. In August 2006, during a Telkom Charity Cup
match against Bloemfontein Celtic
, Okonkwo was red-carded but refused to leave the pitch and threatened to beat up referee Daniel Bennett
and had to be hauled off the pitch by his team-mates.
He also went AWOL on several occasions to attend trials at Europe
an clubs.
Okonkwo caused a stir in Europe by signing a pre-contract agreement with German
side FC Koln only to leave the club a week later to sign a four-year deal at Swiss side FC Zurich saying that he had only ever agreed to a one week trial at the German team. Despite FC Koln's sporting director Klaus Horstmann threatening to take the matter to Fifa
in order for him to fulfil his obligations to his side, Okonkwo says he did not breach any rules in moving to Switzerland
. He joined Alkharitiyat in the summer of 2010
qualifier against Lesotho
in October 2006.
Aba
- Geographic toponymns :* Aba, Abia, a city in Nigeria and former second capital of Biafra* Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, prefecture in Sichuan, China** Aba County, county in Aba Prefecture, Sichuan, China** Aba, Sichuan, main town in Aba County...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
) is a Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
. His name, Onyekachi, means "Who is greater than his godly guarding?".
Club career
Okonkwo was a member of Enyimba's winning side in the 2003 MTN CAF Champions League and 2004 MTN CAF Champions League finals.During his two-year stay in South Africa he was arguably one of the club's most influential players even scoring the decisive goal against his former club Enyimba
Enyimba
Enyimba International Football Club, or simply Enyimba, is a Nigerian football club based in the city of Aba which plays in the Nigerian Premier League. Their name means People's Elephant in Igbo language and is also the nickname used for the city of Aba...
to lead the Johannesbrg-based club to the 2006 MTN CAF Champions League
CAF Champions League 2006
The CAF Champions League 2006 started on 17 February 2006 with a preliminary round. The second leg of the final was played in Tunisia on the 11th of November. Al-Ahly won the tournament for the second time in a row with a late winner by Mohamed Aboutreika....
semifinals.
At the same time he had a huge record of ill-discipline and unsporting behaviour. In August 2006, during a Telkom Charity Cup
Telkom Charity Cup
The Telkom Charity Cup was a South African football annual, one-day tournament for Premier Soccer League clubs. It was usually held in early August, as the season opening event...
match against Bloemfontein Celtic
Bloemfontein Celtic
Bloemfontein Celtic is a South African football club based in Bloemfontein, founded in 1969 as Mangaung United, and renamed in 1984 to its current name. The club currently compete in Premier Soccer League, and selected Seisa Ramabodu Stadium as their home venue...
, Okonkwo was red-carded but refused to leave the pitch and threatened to beat up referee Daniel Bennett
Daniel Bennett (referee)
Daniel Frazer Bennett is an English-South African football referee. He was voted PSL Referee of the Season in 2000–01 and 2010-11 and is an international referee since 2003....
and had to be hauled off the pitch by his team-mates.
He also went AWOL on several occasions to attend trials at Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an clubs.
Okonkwo caused a stir in Europe by signing a pre-contract agreement with German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
side FC Koln only to leave the club a week later to sign a four-year deal at Swiss side FC Zurich saying that he had only ever agreed to a one week trial at the German team. Despite FC Koln's sporting director Klaus Horstmann threatening to take the matter to Fifa
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
in order for him to fulfil his obligations to his side, Okonkwo says he did not breach any rules in moving to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He joined Alkharitiyat in the summer of 2010
International
He won his first international cap for Nigeria in an AFCONAfrican Cup of Nations
The Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Cup of Nations or African Nations Cup, officially CAN , is the main international association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football , and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been...
qualifier against Lesotho
Lesotho national football team
The Lesotho national football team, nicknamed the Likuena , is the national team of Lesotho and is controlled by the Lesotho Football Association...
in October 2006.