Super Eagles midfielder Ogenyi Onazi has shared the real reason behind his departure from Italian Serie A side Lazio, claiming that the club’s president was involved in fraudulent activities and failed to pay his salary for eight months.
Onazi, who joined Lazio from El-Kanemi Warriors in 2011, enjoyed a successful stint with the club, making 110 appearances across all competitions and contributing seven goals and eight assists.
However, despite his achievements on the pitch, the 32-year-old revealed that his relationship with the club’s management soured due to financial issues and alleged fraudulent behavior from the club’s president.
In an exclusive interview with Turkish outlet Fanatik, Onazi explained, “I am still actively playing football at the moment. I terminated my contract in Italy because the club’s president was allegedly involved in fraud. And he has not paid my salary for 8 months.”
Onazi’s decision to leave Lazio in 2016 was not solely influenced by financial matters, as he went on to have a successful period at Turkish club Trabzonspor.
His time in Turkey saw both good and bad moments, particularly a serious Achilles injury that required three surgeries due to complications.
“My time in Trabzonspor was one of my best times in football,” Onazi shared. “I had a serious injury in Trabzonspor. I was treated very well but had three surgeries on the same Achilles due to infection. That’s why I was able to return to the field after a year.”
Despite his lengthy recovery, Onazi noted that Trabzonspor’s management, under new coach Ünal Karaman, lacked patience in allowing him time to fully recover.
He said, “However, the club was not patient for me to fully return. The coach who came after Ünal had something different in mind. That’s why I had to leave.”
Onazi also reminisced about the high points of his career at Trabzonspor, particularly when the club qualified for Europe and went on a six-match winning streak under Ünal Karaman. However, the midfielder did not shy away from mentioning his toughest period, which was undoubtedly his injury struggles.
“I was very happy when we qualified for Europe and achieved a 6-game winning streak with Ünal Karaman. My worst moment was when I was injured,” Onazi admitted.
