Michael Carrick wrote about this experience in his book, ‘Between the Lines’. It wasn’t a nice narration.

He wrote about how difficult a footballer’s life is and how that trip wasn’t convenient for many of them.

His description of Nigeria and Abuja in that book was scathing.

He wrote about some Policemen breaking a photographer’s camera and beating him for taking a picture of them. He said he yelled after them.

“They grabbed him, jabbed him
in the ribs and dragged him round the back of the hotel. ‘Whoa, what’s up?
It’s only a picture. We never saw him again. It was all a bit over the top,” he wrote.

In another paragraph, his words were; 

“the whole experience in Abuja was like being trapped in a horror film”.

Read his conclusion;

“The trip lasted only 16 hours, but Abuja’s effects lasted longer. I vomited
for a week, but some lads had it far worse. They were so sick that United
sent a sample off to some university and, I’m not kidding, they found
monkey and rat shit in the sample. The university docs said they’d never
seen anything like it before. So, no, I won’t remember Abuja happily and I
can’t imagine the other lads will either. Those are the type of souvenirs you
don’t want to bring back from tours abroad.”

It was the last time any big team was in Nigeria. Eighteen years ago.

We will learn one way or the other.

My name is Rilwan, I love and write about football systems, memories and the depths behind the game. Follow me and repost if you want more of this.