He represented Nigeria at the basketball games at the London Olympics, but when asked by TMZ if he's Nigerian, he said he's not! He said he's from Atlanta Georgia but his father is from Nigeria, and has never even been to Nigeria. Representing a country you've never been to? Watch the video above...
Sunday 12 August 2012
Olympic Basketballer Al Farouq Aminu disclaims Nigeria to TMZ
He represented Nigeria at the basketball games at the London Olympics, but when asked by TMZ if he's Nigerian, he said he's not! He said he's from Atlanta Georgia but his father is from Nigeria, and has never even been to Nigeria. Representing a country you've never been to? Watch the video above...
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97 comments:
do you blame him? that is what society taught them. He has never been to Nigeria. e only bears nigerian name.
Lmao! Don't blame him. Follow @meanminaj on twitter.
urgh, thats so embarassing.
who even wants him sef? we have alotta Nigerians that are making us proud...after all, even the match he represented us in, they lost big time!!!
I no blame d guy.. I bet say na beg dem kon beg dem mke dem play.. And with a huge defeat mahnnnn nigeria no worth standin 4..
Its no big deal. Whether for selfish reasons or not, at least he offered to play for us. Free the guy jare.
What do u call someone that was born in america and has never been to nigeria he is an american
You can't blame him for not wanting to claim Nigeria. Who would want to after the disgrace of USA (his supposed origin) using Nigeria (his real origin) to set a new Olympic record. Leave him. Let him claim ATL.
But the Nigerian scam jokes were just plain rude. No need to go there. Many people even doing these scams aren't Nigerian, but because we're known for it, it's all labelled a Nigerian scam.
funny dude...
yosoremi.blogspot.com
So?? He has never been to Nigeria, Yes his dad is Nigerian and his Mother is a Black American. His whole life has been in the United States.
TMZ is such a dumb program. They blow everything out and Linda is even silly for putting this up.
Im sure people would start abusing him because He isnt claiming Nigeria.
I love you Farouq, Always!!!
Vid not available#crying
this bobo dey craze abi mah weting
I thought the video was hilarious. What do you expect the guy to say ' that he is a Nigerian" . Most of the guys that represented the Nigerian basketball team were not born in Nigeria, have never lived in Nigeria and you expect them to say they are Nigerians. The guy didn't tell a lie, he is American and his parents are Nigerians. Nigerians had better be happy that these boys decided to play for Nigeria. As for TMZ and the Office guy, I just find them hilarious.
For shame!!!
I don't blame him one bit! What's the criteria for choosing players? When we don't appreciate and train those at home, y will one yeye person not deny the country he's playing for. ARRANT NONSENSE! and shame on those that contacted him i hope the got the Victory they were expecting. Hiss!!!
He obvious has a low self esteem issue....e no get as e bad..wie u r frm is wie u r from......
A clear case of "you think you do me you do youself"
for me, i dont blame d guy for dis-owning his country. too many sordid tales n misfortune flying like jets in Naija
So whats d big deal about that?
OMG Nigeria has really turned Out to be a joker for These American
Damn!!! Damn!!!! Damn!!!!!
Both him and TMZ are not well.
what a shame!!!
He's a joker! Boy grow-up! I knw ur regrets..anumanu! Beta trace ur origin back home! Remember no place like home dude!..PSSNM
Its people with this kind of mentality that is taking Nigeria backwards. People don't even have enough faith or pride in their nationality and only claim it when necessary. I can't stand those people
hian!! Odiegwu oh
Y did he nau agree to represent naija.omo ale jati jati.mtsheeew....
And fuck TMZ simply cause many here lack family values or have a family oriented culture. Yes his father is from Nigeria,.but he doesn't have to have been there.
I just don't like how he answered the question about where he's from
LMAO...this was hilarious
So why did he agree to represent Nigeria then??
Like daaaaaaaah.... How did y'all think we had a basketball team.... Now this is where the infamous N2.5B went to...... Lmao to buy basketball players who were patriotic to their own country, that' way, they used us to MAKE HISTORY.... 150 - 75...... And yes $1 to N1 is ......wait for it N150!!!
Not a big deal.. Y'all just tripping
Well that will surely be the end of him.Odo to ba gbagbe orisun e setan lati gbe..Atlanta Gorgia..lol..I laff in Ijebu
Hmmmmm,how e no go disown us,wen we have pple here in nigeria dat can represent us,d officials will not train dem,na ready made materials dem go dey find.good riddance to bad rubbish
Because he wanted to go to the olympics and he knew he wasn't good enough to make the USA team. Lol
I don't so blame him,failure got no relatives. After d defeat to US he's quick to disclaim Nigeria, and av got just this word for him. Disclaiming Nigeria doesn't also guarrantee him a place in d US basketball team.*crying and singing d national anthem*~BONARIO~says so via NOKIA3310.
By the way,who would have known him if he hadn't played for Nigeria...Nonsense!
wait see this is the problem with americans and many nigerians. Who you are is what your parents are, not where you are born, whether he like it or not his nigerian first, then america second because he was raised in the usa. Its like saying naetoc is american...he is nigerian born in america. We need to get our youths to stop claiming something or getting confused about who they are. TMZ is a group of stupid americans who think the world revolve around america. MTCHEWWW. AND FOR ALL THOSE NIGERIANS GOING ABROAD TO HAVE THEIR CHILDREN, BETTER MAKE SURE TO TELL THEM THAT THEIR HERITAGE LIES IN NAIJA, WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT. HOHAA!!!!!
I don't blame the guy. I am a Nigerian American. Half of my American kids have never been to Nigeria before and there is no plan for the to visit. But they still support Nigeria in the Olympics due to their parents.
The guy will probably not visit Nigeria soon; Boko Haram, Armed robberies, kidnappers, Fulanis stabbing people on Lagos-Ibadan expressway
Abeg he should go and park well..... If not for Nigeria would a mediocre player like him even smell Olympics?.... Its not his fault sha... Na the yeye country wen no fit train real nigerians that I blame.
Abi o,wetin d mumu dey play sef...no be dem USA use set world record...Ode feeling funky!!
Well wt his interview am forced to believe they purposely got beaten mercilessly by the Americans so d gold wl not come to Nigeria, I mean what d heck, d gap was hilarious and this guy claim s dumb, why dd he choose to play for a country he doesn't come from? He sure needs help!
Seriously why is everyone getting angry and worked up about the video. Al Farouq Aminu was born in America, lives in America, has never been to Nigeria. What do you call someone that was born in America and has never been to Nigeria - an AMERICAN. The joke TMZ and the office made wasn't a lie either. Almost everyone knows that Nigeria is a major scamming nation so why is everyone getting worked up about the TRUTH. I understand that not everyone in Nigeria scams, but majority of the scams that happen in the world are done by Nigerians. The TRUTH is bitter and Nigerians hate the truth.
Inshort, the guy wo onye ara.
Truer words were never said.. LOL
Nigeria see ur life outside....see the way tmz finished u.shameeeee!
He is right that he is not a Nigerian but his dad is a Nigerian. Nigeria needs to try more home-grown athletes instead of using an American who has never been to Nigeria. He is not the only one who played for countries they had never been to but their parents are. Many of the basketball players in US have Nigerian fathers.
That is what Nigeria has turned to ( Laughing stock), the moment Nigeria starts to parade American rejected people at the olympics, i knew that we were about to experience failure at the Olympics. How many of our contigents at the Olympics performed to the standard of our home grown (Odumosu, Okagbare) tallents that warrants all this insult for someone representing Naija and still feel ashamed to claim the country. What do we really expect in a country whereby corruption is the bane of the society which i think nothing good would ever come out of that country until we stop parading all the PDP's that are dwelling in sinful acts.
May God punish everyone of them and their family will never know peace.
How can someone even claim that shithole country?
in America u come from the place u r born in. in nigeria u come from your fathers village. i was watching tmz the day they had him on, he said he is from atl because he was born there but he also said his father was from nigeria which makes him nigerian (dual nationality) he said so. by the way why is everyone getting all worked up, if he disowned nigeria as linda's headline misleadingly says isint he free to. dammm yall should chill and stop taking your ignorance too serious.
Dis just shows hw DUMB dis guy is? Hw can u say u r nt a Nigerian n u agreed 2 play 4 d country, den wat does dat make u? U r just a stupid barawo. Ole! Onyohi! I dont blame u. I blame u Nigerian parents dat allowed u 2 look dwn on ur father's country n adopt a fake life n claim a country dats not urs. I also blame d Nigerian basketball federation 4 going 2 BUY unpatriotic, yawa, immature lost children to play 4 us n nt use dedicated full blooded local players. Shiooooo. Who knw dem b4. No b we gv dem popularity. Foolish boy. Olodo. Shiooooooooo
The guy is not lying...but he's an idiot.
I didn't even have to watch the video to know this was being blown out of proportion but I did anyway. The guy said Nothing wrong. He's a first generation American with Nigerian ancestry. He clearly said he has DUAL CITIZENSHIP! TMZ is a silly website and they chose to make fun of Nigeria via a completely Normal situation. No surprises, that's what they do and no one takes them seriously. What is sad is Nigerians abusing one of their own for representing them. Y'all won't abuse all the athlete's who were Nigerians winning medals and representing Britain in the Olympics.why doesn't TMZ make fun of that?
Most of you are Morons, He didnt deny Nigeria because He as never been to Nigeria and the most of what He probably knows about Nigeria is what His dad or cousins ever told him. He has been planning on going to Nigeria for a couple of months now and willing to learnt he culture.
He didnt mean any harm by denying the country.
Some people to relax. I know Him and His family very well and He doesnt deserve any of this you guys are ranting about.
He is becoming more aware of his Fatherland. If you all can just think and act well in Nigeria Maybe most of us in the USA born by one American parent can come home.
We hear and read all these jargons on the media, we see how alot of you go through many means to come to the USA, decietful marriages, Visa Lottery, 419's, Over stay Student Visa's.
The only thing that has brough Nigeria to the lime light is Music and thanks to Tuface for pavign the way for the young entertainers.
we like the likes of FELA and back then Majek fashek .
Please and Please give my Boy a break, He was being honest and meant no harm.
Lets fight for a change in Nigeria and stop critizing each other.
GBam you gerrit,omo ale jatijati
STFU y'all! You'd say the same.. Can't blame the dude...
DO YOU BLAME HIM?? EVERY TOM DICK AND HARRY KNOWS NIGERIANS ARE FRAUDSTERS...WHAT IS THERE TO BE PROUD OF????
The guy is a Nigerian by Origin and an American by birth and therefore can claim which ever country he likes. Has it now become a crime that he plaid for his country of origin. Abeg make una free the guy! abi na im fault sey papa no carry am go naija?
It is sad. But I don't blame him. Nigeria has a fucked up status all over the world.If he was from Paris/ Jamaica, he would open his big lips to talk about his background.
I blame the fucking bastards in Nigeria that steal the money to pay these lost African souls instead of training the talented players back at home. The corruption in Nigeria just terrible. It affects everything!
I will not be surprised if the dumb fucks in charge of basketball in Nigeria, contact Lebron James and Kobe to represent Nigeria in the next Olympics...They are that dumb and useless.
Thank you very much jare
Bottom line doubt if this one would ever make the NBA..suprise dem kobe and lebron were laughing@dem..stupid double agent..now we know why we lost by a large margin..never hear Italian..Irish and Latin Americans deny their origin..but this coons just can't wait to deny..with all the raw talent we have@home..good riddance to bad rubbish!!
It really beggars belief that Nigerians find Al Farouk’s statement of truth so offensive! Is this so unique to Naija? So many soccer players, for example, represent countries of which they don’t even have a passport, often not because they have been “bought”! A decade ago, a young German represented a French-speaking African national team and couldn’t speak a word of either French or the national language. Although he was lonely most of the time, he said he was proud of playing for his father’s country. After watching Al Farouk’s clip, I found nothing unpatriotic. At no point did he “disown” Nigeria. He simply stated the truth: he’s never been to Nigeria. Is it his fault? I can’t stop bemoaning the myopic criticism of so many gullible Nigerians who crucify this young man. I suspect these self-proclaimed “patriots” fall for the “disdain” of the TV commentator who objects to a US citizen representing another country, be it one’s father’s country of birth? Can’t they think for themselves? Why would it be “unpatriotic” to state that one was born and brought up in the US—or was FROM Atlanta, Georgia—and has never been to his father’s country of birth? Is it not clear he hopes he’ll visit one day? At least, he was brave enough to step out and play for Nigeria. All the hullabaloo about him would have been amusing if it wasn’t a serious matter. “Judge not, that ye be not judged”. (Non-Nigerian reader)
Please excuse my ignorance, so since he has never been to naija, where sis the naija Baskeetball team practise for the Olympics ?
Thanks
this is hilarious met a young man earlier today that said the exact thing. we stopped at columbia mall to do some shoppng after church the young man attending to us noticed our cloths and asked where we where from? when we told him he said he has a colleague from Nigeria, the nigerian guy comes over to say hi and then lets us know the young man is also nigerian. When the boy comes back we ask why he dint say he is nigerian he says "my dad is nigerian" and his name is Babatunde something very yoruba boy like that.
yeah! A lot of them here say that nonsense. Met a guy a few months back, his name is Uche and I asked him where he was from he said that same nonsense...."my dad is from Abia but from LA..." Like WTF man. Be proud of where you from.
Dont blame him ooo .. na TMZ wey put scam matter make d situation worse
www.gamugaza.blogspot.com
Show some love to the brother. Nigeria will forever be grateful to him and his peers for representing the country of their root.
This is common amongst children here abroad where it is actually the parent who push the issue that the kids are born here so they are xyz. Some of us have to then push the issue that this is why there are so many problems with a lot of these kids today. They have given names from their homelands but have grown up being told they are American, British etc and when it is pointed out that they are still Africans they get vexed. I say, if you do not know where you are coming from, you cannot know where you are going. Parents need to re-educate their children that just because you were born abroad and never been to your homeland does not mean you are not from where your parents are from. This is mostly common with black kids.
Name one pls.
Oh Shattap!
LET'S FACE THE REALITY.... THAT DUDE IS NOT A NIGERIAN ...HE'S AMERICAN WITH NIGERIAN DECENT.....IF HE PLAYS FOR 9AIJA THAT DOESN'T MAKE HIM A NIGERIAN LOL...
Pls help me ask her?
Some comments sha. Some comments here dont make sense at all. Should he have said he was a Nigerian when he "is not". You guys should get a life.
Well done boy, for even trying to represent at all.
Wale for one (side eye) at least he doesn't disown his country
@ mr or Mrs USA vs NIG. I think u shld ask ur parents how dey got to settle in America. They'll probably pick one of d options u stated in comment. So just STFU n stop yarning trash.
I also agree that he is not Nigerian but he CHOSE to play for Nigeria in the Olympics. When you represent a country in the Olympics, there is a valid assumption that you are a citizen of that country. It was classless and ignorant of him to denounce a country whose colours he wore and represented at the Olympics. At the end of the day, the joke is on him. If he was good enough to represent "his" country America, why did he play in Nigeria's jersey? Is he the only one with dual heritage? Why aren't the others denouncing Nigeria too?
I almost feel sorry for you that your "truth" about Nigeria is that we are a nation of scammers. That's not my truth though. There are so many Nigerians out there doing Nigeria proud, from the lowly employee who performs his cleaning job with integrity and diligence to the high flying business mogul and innovator. Continue to wallow in your falsehood about Nigeria which you have painted the truth and you'll be left behind in the scheme of things when good people are making a name for themselves and changing the destiny of this country for good.
Where he's from is a discussion for another day!! But since he's never been to Nigeria, where then did this olympic basketball team practice??? I really would want to know!
He didn't say anything wrong or bad abt nigeria,he plays for nigeria buytwasn't born in nigeria so why tmz have to make a fuzz out of it..
For all the noise being made about the guy's interview, how many of u have actually watched the whole video instead of the few minutes taken out of context. If u follow trends on media, you would hav realized that people usually take a few words out of context to make their headlines more appealing to the readers. We must understand the peculiarity of the social background of these boys, if they played for nigeria, we should encourage them instead of these abuses. If he said he was American that isn't a lie and dt doesn't mean a denial of his ancestry( Nigeria). He has a right to both countries, so please let's give him a break. We have bigger issues to deal with in this country, issues dt when properly handled would make nigerian whether born at home or abroad proud of their heritage. Stop the hate
......I dont know why they will want to make an issue outta this.....it was an opportunity to show the world his talent.......He has not been to the country before..and so?....are we all expecting him to lie about it......am proud of the young man......they did us proud out there....
Aminu himself knows he wouldn't have made it on the U.S.A.'s Olympic team. However, he should have put a positive spin on his participation instead of talking like an idiot.
Goes to show, some only do it for the name and fame.
If Nigeria had won d gold in basketball, I am sure he wld have proudly said he is a Nigerian.
Y, shattap..!! d guy hz low-self esteem. if they had won gold in male basketball, wont he say he is a Nigerian? anywz nobody wnt to associate wit failure bt dt does not give him d ryt to deny his country. afterall nobody forced him to play, abi na bc shirt no reach am for USA team.
Atlanta ,Georgia is inside the united states Aminu but I admire his honesty though, most of the African Americans hate being called Africans to be honest, they find it offensive.They look down on their fellow Africans.
make una leave the poor jawe, na machinery the guy be.
Folks lets quit getting sensitive.
After watching the video, I dont see anything wrong with what he said. He did say he has dual citizenship, and that he has never been, but would love to go.
Cut the guy some slack jare. All we do is tear down our own. Do you think the govt paid them a dime to play for naija? Do you know the commitment it takes to play? One of the players got injured. This dude could have gotten a serious injury that would have ruined his NBA career.
He didnt disown naija, he just told the truth!! He grew up in atlanta, has dual citizenship because his dad is from Nigeria, hasnt been, would like to go.
The 419 emails are annoying, I get them too, and they annoy me, let alone someone who is non nigerian. We caused this global viewpoint, we dont make it any better, doing odu, and stealing ppl's money and then going back to Naija, and doing big boy and gal, and having everyone hail us. There are way too many of us that do that, including many ppl that we all know.
Linda, on another note, some stuff you put on here, at least show some global enlightenment. Better for you to have tried to explain both sides, than to try and instigate and then have a title that really isnt true. The dude didnt say he wasnt Nigerian, he's from Atlanta, his dad is Nigerian, he has dual citizenship, never been, but wants to go.
This kind of discussion is what I'd expect from someone off the street that gets emotionally sensitive and isnt really enlightened, especially about american affairs.
He didn't say it maliciously; there was innocence in his answers. For example in London where I live, when asked where you're from, they mean where you were born, you can then go further to explain your ancestry origin. Which he said, he did say his father is Nigerian and he also mentioned dual citizenship. So, he didn't disclaim Nigeria at all.
When asked if he had been there, he said no but he stated that he would like to go though.
Appreciate your spouse this week; it's the Celebration of Marriage Week!
www.princessofzion.wordpress.com/2012/08/13/celebration-of-marriage-week
If 9ja had won he wuld hv claimed 2 b a 9gerian!!! But now dey lost!!!!!! Success cums wit frends but failure not ff @Zinazee20 4 a ff bak!!
I'm not a Nigerian and why did you represent them? How come you didnt represent USA? It's a pity this sportsman does not know how to handle defeat and the next best thing is to distant yourself from Nigeria. You ought to be grateful because we gave you a platform to play at the world stage and you honoured it knowing USA would never choose you to represent them.
if ur father is from a country then u are but i dont blame him i also have dual citizenship, so i understand him but this is really embarassing for nigeria
if ur father is from a country then u are but i dont blame him i also have dual citizenship, so i understand him but this is really embarassing for nigeria
anu ohia! where does he think all blacks originated from? from the moon? he's an idiot. He's even lucky he knows he has Nigeria origin. #smh
Chineke me!!! just imagine! who needs him anyway, Fulani tout wey dey feel funky. idiot
ATL BABY WHOOP WHOOP ....... Only nigeria want to claim every breathing thing that is famous that has nigerian ancestry ....... Even 10 generation Americans disclaiming America ull never see news about it WHY coz they don't care ...... 4 words 'No Be By force'..... Lemmi hear it one more time ATL BABY
A question for all who have posted their comments here. What is the nationality of Barak Obama, Kenyan or American? Mind you he has acknowledged that his father was born in Kenya and eventually went back to work for the government of that country after his studies in the US
How many commentators here really understand the concept of dual citizenship, it's constraints and upsides? The courage it takes to take the leap of faith on actions that could potentially harm your ascendency later on in life.
The palpable ignorance of supposedly educated and "enlightened" Nigerians is breath taking. I am especially calling out those who claim to be offended when they meet young children in the mall even when they have not done a thing to 'rescue' or identify with the scores of troubled children born to Nigerian immigrants on streets of various western nations.
If you do not appreciate opportunities and pitfalls which the laws of the 'birth' countries of these freshly minted citizens creates, then perhaps you are not qualified to make totally unsavory comments about them.
Other nationalities like the Jews, Irish etc. actively work at plugging their folks as relevant in these countries which in turn is leveraged for favored nation status. On the contrary we expend energy antagonizing citizens of other nations albeit of Nigerian ancestry who may one day be in positions to enhance the stature and global relevance of our nation.
By the way this concept is not strange to some of the ethnic groupings who understand how to acquire and hang on to power on a long term basis, domestically.
Some caution here, access to internet blogging should not be seen as license to cause irreparable damage as written words have a way of coming back to haunt the author long after the fact.
Good for 9ja please do not beef this idiot, cant fault him at all, coz since the country has refused to make people proud, so how can people be proud of the country. Young nigerians its revolution s time (STAND UP). Please let fix our country if those rutu mutu figured heads (politians) (Gov FASHOLA excluded) are not fixing it for us.
U re so right, gud comment.
You Nigerians can be sooo ignorant!
Arnold Schwarzenegger is from Austria, do you expect his kids to say they are Austrians? Guys, think!
And Linda, why would you even post such a thing in the first place?
My first time of posting on Linda's blog...
Al-Farouq Aminu is a prince from a long line of kings in Nigeria.
He even proudly identified his Nigeria ancestry and some people with short attention span or headline readers only are busy insulting the young chap. For your information in the USA, where you are born is where you are from.
Andre Iguodala who played for the Americans at the 2012 Olympics refused to play for Nigeria because he said it DIDN'T feel right to do so since he has never even been to Nigeria.
Alade and his younger broter, Al-farooq... and the 7 other Nigerian-Americans like the fantastic Ike Diogu, etc, played for Nigeria even though some of them have never been to Nigeria.
Let us salute the courage of these young chaps and not castigate them!
PS: Please Visit the Web links Below for objetivity:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Farouq_Aminu
http://thecheifhasarrived.tumblr.com/
http://twitter.com/farouq1
Bruised and Beaten, but Nigerians Are Unbowed By GREG BISHOP
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/07/sports/olympics/bruised-and-beaten-nigerias-basketball-players-are-undeterred.html?_r
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