By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Hannover 96 defender Ime Okon has reaffirmed his commitment to representing South Africa at international level, despite remaining eligible to play for Nigeria.
Okon, a promising young centre-back, has insisted that his allegiance has remained consistent since entering the national team picture. He first drew attention from Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos in 2023 and has since become one of South Africa’s most promising defensive prospects.
Earlier this year, Okon played a pivotal role in South Africa’s COSAFA Cup campaign, scoring against Zimbabwe and featuring in every match as the team reached the final.
“People always talk, but at the end of the day, I know where my heart is,” Okon told Radio 2000’s Game On segment.
“I played for South Africa at the COSAFA Cup and I scored (against Zimbabwe) and South Africa is everything to me. I don’t know anything else besides South Africa, it’s where home is, even if Nigeria can call me up, SA is home, that’s all I have to say.”
Okon’s declaration comes as Broos prepares to announce his final squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Although he missed recent World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Rwanda due to injury, he remains highly rated within the national setup and is expected to feature prominently in the coach’s plans.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
