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‘Liverpool Gave Me New five-Year Contract And Sold Me Days Later’ – I Was Heartbroken

Dominic Matteo

With Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold edging dangerously close to the final six months of their Liverpool contracts, supporters continue to wait anxiously in hope that the Reds trio pen extensions to remain at Anfield.

They remain arguably the three first names on Arne Slot’s team sheet, after all.

Both Salah and Van Dijk might both be on the wrong side of 30 but the pair are showing no signs of slowing down as they navigate their veteran years. Meanwhile, Alexander-Arnold, who continues to be repeatedly linked to Real Madrid, is miraculously still only 26 years old and coming into his prime.

But imagine a scenario where any of the trio sign a new long-term contract with Liverpool, only to find themselves then sold on only days later.

It’s a surreal concept, but that is exactly what happened to former Reds star Dominic Matteo back in the summer of 2000.

“On the Monday, I was signing a five-year deal that, by the standards of the day, was a lucrative one. But, just four days later, I was on my way out of Liverpool,” Matteo revealed in his autobiography, ‘In My Defence’, published in 2011. “I was in shock. How could things change so quickly in just four days?

“The thought of leaving was an upsetting one. But, for the good of my career, I needed a fresh start. So, I went. It meant I missed out on all the trophies that Liverpool won the following season. I’ll admit that seeing the lads pick up the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup was difficult.”

Matteo had just enjoyed his most successful season yet for Liverpool in 1999/00, starting 32 times in the Premier League and recording six assists. But Gerard Houllier’s decision to pursue Christian Ziege from Middlesbrough, despite handing the Scotland international a new long-term contract, proved to be the death knell on his Reds career.

In an exclusive interview with the ECHO, Matteo, who teamed up with gambling harm prevention specialist EPIC Global Solutions in a new role as a programme facilitator earlier this year, admits he was heartbroken to leave Liverpool.

But while he is confident Houllier wanted to keep him, having only just signed that contract extension, and had faith in his ability to play ahead of Ziege, he did not want to risk giving up on regular starting football.

“When I left Liverpool, I had five years left on my contract,” he recalled. “I didn’t think I was going anywhere, but I didn’t think I was going to get the game time again.

“The reason why I left was because of that. There was no other reason. I wanted to stay, but I wasn’t going to get the game time. I thought I couldn’t have another three or four years of not playing. It just wasn’t what I wanted.

“So Gerard had to make a call. You have to make calls and I think he definitely wanted to keep me. No two ways about that.

“I generally thought I would play ahead of Ziege in my own head, because you have got to have that confidence about yourself. I wasn’t being cocky, I just thought I could match that. And I could play numerous positions as well, which I always thought was a help.

“If you look at that the year before, I was probably one of the best players! I didn’t miss many games.

“And obviously Liverpool just missed out on the Champions League that year. We lost at Bradford of all places, 1-0. But things could have been different. I think if we’d won that game, would I stay? Maybe. You know, I might stayed. I don’t know, but obviously, again, it was about playing that next season.”

He continued: “Obviously I was gutted that I had to leave. Even though we talked about the five years and my contract, I was gutted. I was gutted, I was heartbroken for a long time, but I had to make the right call to play games.

“And obviously getting the opportunity to go to Leeds and we were in the Champions League. But then that year Liverpool go and win the UEFA Cup. So for me, mixed emotions.

“It would’ve been nice in a way. You’d be lying if you didn’t say I’d like to have stayed and won things with them, of course I would. But life doesn’t work like that. You move forward into your career.

“The one thing I would want to do is to have won those trophies, like everyone else did. But I didn’t manage to get that. And that’s something that always bugs you.

“It shouldn’t bug people, but it kind of does in a way, because you’ve been at a club for so long and you just miss out on stuff. But that’s football.

“A lot of people can have great careers but don’t win all them trophies and. That wasn’t just for me, I was just happy to be playing football and playing for Liverpool at that point, and to play at the highest level.

“But then you get the opportunity to go to a club like Leeds United. So it all ended up, I was winning either way with them. I’m happy. I played in that red shirt and then got to move across the Pennines.”

Ziege would actually end up flopping at Anfield was sold to Tottenham Hotspur after just one season, while Matteo established himself as a firm fan-favourite at Leeds United.

Didi Hamann, who played alongside Ziege for both Bayern Munich and Germany, even urged Matteo to stay put and told the defender he would start ahead of his compatriot. But after seven years in the Liverpool first team without being first-choice for the majority, the now 50-year-old had already had his share of fighting for his place.

“I wanted to play. I knew I was playing well,” he reiterated. “I knew I was hitting things at the right moment. Things were working for me training wise and everything was going in the right direction.

“But obviously when you’re a club like Liverpool and the big hitters come in for someone, you always know and I had a lot of that.

“When I was a young player at Liverpool, there was so much experience coming in. John Scales, Phil Babb, Mark Wright, all these people were ahead of me. They’re all great players, all had great careers.

“But I’m thinking, ‘When am I going to get my chance to play my actual position?’ So it was a lot of things in my mind going around thinking I want to play more.

“At that point I was playing very well. I was playing well. Didi was my mate, he was trying to support me even though he’s German as well as Ziege, but I think he knew there was a place for me whether it would have been at full-back or centre-back.

“I think he was just wanting to keep me around because he knew that the improvement in me over the last few years, I knew it was better. And it was all down to playing regularly and staying away from injuries. That’s key.

“But regular football, when you’re at a club like Liverpool, it’s hard. Unless you’re the superstar like Fowler or Michael Owen, they’re always going to play.

“But when you are another young lad coming through who hasn’t quite got the pedigree that they’ve got, it’s always going to be a battle to get into the first team.

“And there’s only so long you can do that for before you have to make a choice. And I suppose that’s what happened, I had to make a choice. And it was to go to Leeds United.”

Matteo actually ended up failing his medical with Leeds United because of a knee injury, but he was assured that his £4.75m transfer would go through regardless. Having come through the youth ranks with Liverpool, his Reds career was over.

“David (O’Leary) and Peter (Ridsdale) said to me, ‘We’re signing you on a long contract. So whatever this scenario is, we want you anyway,” he said. “‘We know you can get back quick from injuries’.

“The injury was not even that bad, it was a four or five-week, six-week injury. So you know they looked into that as well.

“But the physio said to me, ‘Why are we actually doing this medical? You know you’re not going to pass it’. But we did it anyway just to check. And, yeah, I had a little tear in my knee.

“I could have played on with that. I played my last game for Liverpool against Parma at Anfield. We won 5-0 and I played that day with it and it was fine. I just cracked on with it.

“But I kind of knew that might have been my last game for Liverpool at that moment. So we battered Parma and then I kind of knew that was my big time up, before the move to the Pennines and a chance to go into the Champions League.”

 

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Govt Should Give Annual Grants To Nigerian Clubsides – Sanmi Doherty

Ikorodu City Football club

 

Stakeholders of Nigerian football opined that governments at all levels should completely hands off sponsorship or ownership of football clubs in Nigeria.

According to some aficionados, the state-owned clubs have not thrived or perform better than privately owned clubs in recent times.

And yet, another strong voice in the fortunes of Nigerian football has joined the fray, albeit from a fresher angle.

Speaking in a recent interview, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ikorodu City Football club, Sanmi Doherty, admonished the federal government to establish a football trust fund that would empower the clubs to operate in line with the global best practices in world football. He added that Nigerian clubs would be able to compete favourably with their counterparts on the continent.

“I think government should only provide the facilities the enabling environment for the clubs. I think we can also have a trust fund fir Nigerian clubs. Tell me, why can’t the federal government earmark certain amounts of money as annual grants to help the clubs playing in the league?

“You know we’re not only promoting football, we’re also empowering the youths and using football to curb restiveness amongst the youths.

” Football is big business and capital intensive. For instance, if I know that I’m going to receive maybe N3billion from the government as my annual allocation, I can conveniently go for the best players, pay them very well, and ensure they get the conducive environment to ply their trades professionally and of course, the desired results will come,” the youthful club owner enthused confidently.

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International Day of Sports For Devt. & Peace: LSSC, Global Sports Ambassadors Announce Commemorative Events

 

As part of the activities marking the 2025 International Day of Sports for Development and Peace, the Lagos State Sports Commission in collaboration with the Global Ambassadors Initiative has announced a series of events commemorating the celebration.

At a media briefing held on Friday at the Conference Room of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Director General, Lekan Fatodu discussed extensively the significance of sports in propagating youth empowerment, social cohesion and bridging the gaps in segregating some members of the society.

The LSSC boss stated that the IDSDP is in harmony with the commission mandate of encouraging mass participation in sports, providing an enabling environment for youth to exhibit their hidden talent irrespective of their social status and background.

The theme for this year’s celebration is ’Leveling the Playing Field: Sports For Social Inclusion’, Fatodu highlights the role of sports in bringing everybody on the board and ensuring that no one is neglected. He acknowledged its positive impact in challenging stereotypes and prejudices, giving voices to the voiceless and fostering gender equality.

The Lagos state government through the sports commission, over time, has leveraged the power of sports in bringing the youth into the limelight, providing opportunities for talents to combine sports with education to raise future leaders and champions from the communities.

The partnership with Carmel Academy to mark the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace attests to the power of collaboration with the Lagos State Sports Commission, Ministry of Education, Lagos State Universal Basic Education, Sports Providing Entities and corporate sponsors.

Executive Trustee of Ambassador Initiatives for Youth Development and Conflict Resolution, Ndidi Edeoghon, said the IDSDP was designed to showcase the impact of sports on social changes, bridging the gap of inequality, gender sensitivity, promoting a healthy environment and the immense contributions to the livelihood.

The International Day of Sports for Development and Peace is celebrated globally on April 6th every year, as designated by the United Nations General Assembly. The three-day event will feature about 1000 pupils and students from selected primary and secondary schools across the state. The debate, competition and award ceremony are set for May 7th, 8th and 10th respectively.

After the Leadership debate on the opening day, participate in Athletics, Swimming and Board Games including Ayo Olopon on the second day while pupils and students who perform exceptionally well in both debate and sports activities will get awards and certificates on the final day.

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Francis And Fidelia Ibhawoh Foundation Unveils New Logo, Announces 2025 Essay Competition

 

Sequel to the name change effected four years ago as published in a National Newspaper from Francis Ibhawoh foundation to ‘FRANCIS AND FIDELIA IBHAWOH FOUNDATION’, the body in a press statement reiterate it’s are pleasure to announce that the name change reflects the shared values and lifelong commitment of Francis and Fidelia Ibhawoh to Education, Community Development, and Youth Empowerment. 

“While the foundation’s name has evolved, our mission and core values remain unchanged, as we continue to strive for a positive impact in our local communities, while also empowering young people to find their voices and shape their future.”

Speaking at an event held in Lagos on the 16th of March 2025 to unveil the Foundation’s new logo, the Chairman of the Foundation, Gerard Ibhawoh states that, “the name change is more than symbolic. As it is a testament to the shared vision, values, and dedication of Francis and Fidelia Ibhawoh, whose lifelong commitment to making a difference in the lives of young people and communities continues to inspire us”.

He also announced that in line with the foundation’s commitment to fostering intellectual discourse and critical thinking, the Francis and Fidelia Ibhawoh Foundation, is pleased to announce the call for entries for the 2025 edition of its annual essay competition for undergraduates.

The 2025 Essay Competition has the theme, ‘Sports As a Catalyst for Social Change and National Development: In what ways can sports foster social inclusion, peacebuilding and youth empowerment?’

It further remarked that sports have the power to bridge divides, inspire communities, and drive meaningful change. How can we harness this power for a better society?

Entries for the essay competition opened April 01, 2025, and closes on

May 15, 2025. Winners will be announced on June 02, 2025, and with a prize money of N100,000 each for the best essays. And for further information, interested participants can reach out to:  www.ibhawohfoundation.com, and contact@ibhawohfoundation.com

The Francis and Fidelia Ibhawoh Foundation reaffirms its dedication to championing education, youth development, and community progress. As it looks forward to receiving insightful essays from young thinkers across the nation, in the bids to continue to inspire positive change.

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