Talented player gets citizenship after three-year wait

A PROMISING young footballer sidelined from key international games because of a passport difficulty has finally been granted Irish citizenship.

Nigerian-born Emeka Onwubiko was unable to play competitive games or matches abroad despite being one of the country’s top young scorers. After a frustrating three-year wait, the 17-year-old finally learnt about his citizenship application last week.

The rush is now on to secure his passport in time for when the U18 squad flies out later this month for key away games in Portugal. He missed 14 fixtures last season without a passport.