By Latiifah Amusan
Nigerian pop artist, Charles Chibuezechukwu, better known as Crayon, has opened up about a distressing episode from his past that plunged him into depression.
In a recent interview with Cool FM Nigeria, Crayon recounted how his aspirations of becoming a professional football player were dashed by alleged corruption within the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
In his candid conversation, the ‘Trench To Triumph’ singer revealed that he had been chosen to be a part of a national youth football team in 2015, marking a potential turning point in his budding career.
However, he described how his hopes were abruptly crushed when he was removed from the team’s roster to make way for an individual from a more affluent background.
Crayon attributed this pivotal incident to the depression he battled during the same year.
“I became depressed in 2015 because I couldn’t get into the university,” he disclosed.
“All my friends were in school. At that time I was close to my friends. I was the youngest among my friends. Every time they are around is always fun. Then they all got admitted to the universities in Ghana, Benin, etc. It was just me in the hood.”
Reflecting on his past, Crayon recounted his passion for football, disclosing that he had been known as ‘Coutinho’ in his neighborhood, drawing a parallel with the famed Liverpool player.
His dedication to the sport eventually led him to pursue a professional football career, an ambition that was shattered by the alleged corrupt practices within Nigerian football.
Detailing his heart-wrenching experience, Crayon recounted,
“I tried to become a professional footballer but it didn’t work out for me because football in Nigeria is quite dicey.
“There is a lot of corruption. I don’t want to mention names because it might hurt some people. They are big names; top football officials”.
The artist further shared that during a screening at the Surulere National Stadium, NFF officials had supposedly swindled him in favor of an individual with monetary influence and connections.
