Super Eagles midfielder reveals Fifa rule blocked his move to Chelsea

Super Eagle midfielder Ogenyi Onazi has revealed that a FIFA rule prevented him from joining Premier League giants Chelsea at the early stage of his professional career.

After impressing at the 2009 Fifa U17 World Cup where he helped Nigeria to a second-place finish, the central midfielder had a trial at Chelsea but failed to ink a deal with the club because he had not attained the age of majority.

Article 19 of Fifa transfer regulations state that international transfers of players are only permitted if the player is over the age of 18.

Onazi eventually joined Italian club Lazio alongside Golden Eaglets teammate Sani Emmanuel in 2011 and initially featured for the youth sides of the club.

Onazi gained promotion to the first team and went on to make 108 appearances across all competitions, notching fifteen-goal involvements.

The 31-year-old while speaking in an interview revealed why he ended up playing for Lazio and not Chelsea.

"When I was young, I almost signed for Chelsea, but we were underage and couldn't play. We had to wait until we were 18. There was a lot of process," Onazi said to Ajansspor.

"That's why my manager decided that we would go to Italy at that time. So he could start in Lazio's second team and then, when he developed, he could start in the first team." "We could get promoted to the team."

Obviously, the FIFA rule on minors not being able to play in a new country until they turn 18 punctuated the Nigeria international desire to play for the Stamford Bridge outfit.

Onazi left the White and Sky Blues in 2016 to join Turkish side Trabzonspor where he made 79 appearances across all competitions and he left the club in January 2020.

Since his departure from Trabzonspor,  he has played for eight different clubs including his current side Avezzano, an Italian side which plays in Serie D.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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