Osun State House of Assembly have opened a probe into the alleged diversion of €10,000 received by Nigerian club Osun United due to Odion Ighalo’s loan move to Manchester United.
Ighalo completed a temporary switch to Old Trafford from Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua in January, a deal which was later extended until January 2021.
His return to England earned his first professional club Osun United, formerly known as Prime FC, who play in the Second Division of the Nigerian league, a reported sum of €10,000 (4.5 million naira).
The Osogbo-based outfit received the money at a time when they were struggling financially to register for the 2020-21 Nigeria National League season and pay their players’ salaries.
This €10,000 from the loan of Ighalo to Manchester United would have reportedly helped the club meet their financial commitments, although there are concerns that the funds did not actually arrive in the club's coffers.
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The Chairman of Osun House Committee on Sports, Hon. Adrullahi Adegbile confirmed their investigation is still ongoing and he assured all individuals involved in the alleged diversion of the funds will be summoned.
“When we got the information, we invited all the parties. After a thorough investigation into the issue, I assure you, we will make our findings public. We will still invite them this week,” Adegbile told the Punch.
Goal attempted to reach Osun United for further information, but the calls were not answered at the time of going to press.
Ighalo hit four goals in his first eight outings for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side before the 2019-20 campaign was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, with his final effort before the pause coming during a 5-0 Europa League first-leg victory away at LASK on March 12.
While he netted against Norwich City in an FA Cup clash following the restart, he played a peripheral part in United's end to the campaign, as the Red Devils reached the semi-final of the Europa League and qualified for the Champions League via their Premier League finish.
