Super Eagles of Nigeria striker, Emmanuel Emenike, is in danger of landing an imprisonment term, after a Turkish court was told that he faked injury in order to avoid playing for his former club, Karabukspor, against Fenerbahce in a Turkish SuperLig fixture in May 2011.
If convicted, Emenike, who is widely tipped to make the country’s South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of Nations squad and is a prominent member of Spartak Moscow in the Russian Premier League, will be sentenced to prison for three years — a judgement lawyers in Istanbul are already urging the court to make.
According to witnesses, Emenike’s agent was approached by Fenerbache officials before the match and prevailed on him to arrange the player’s injury so he would not feature against them.
The 25-year old attacker, who is standing trial alongside 92 other players for unethical practices in the Turkish first and second divisions in the 2010-11 season, has been accused of match-fixing in a crisis that has already claimed a high-profile casualty — President of Fenerbache FC, Aziz Yildirim, who was sentenced to six years and three months in prison.
