Stephane Mbia responds to reports on family visit
Cameroon's midfielder Stephane Mbia controls the ball during the 2014 Fifa World Cup Group A match between Cameroon and Croatia at The Amazonia Arena in Manaus on June 18, 2014. PHOTO | JAVIER SORIANO |
What you need to know:
- Mbia, 29, insisted that his family always visits for holidays and downplayed the widespread media reports on the matter.
Acting Cameroon national football team skipper Stephane Mbia has denied claims that he asked for assistance from the country's government and his club, Trabzonspor, to move his family to Turkey because of the recent terrorist attacks in the West African country.
According to the former Olympique Marseille, Queens Park Rangers and Sevilla midfielder, the visit by his family has nothing to do with the Cameroonian government and his club. It just coincided with the trying times in his home soil compelling the Cameroonian media to relate his actions of moving his family to Europe with the safety concerns he may have.
Mbia, 29, insisted that his family always visits for holidays and downplayed the widespread media reports on the matter.
"Contrary to recent reports in the media regarding the visit by my parents, I'd like to state that my parents and family have always visited me over the years in Europe. This holiday visit has absolutely nothing to do with the stories being fabricated in the press," Mbia said.
BOKO HARAM
Recent bombings, believed to have been orchestrated by Boko Haram, claiming the lives of 22 and injuring several others, have sparked panic in the country.
"Cameroon remains a stable and peaceful country. It is the place my family and I call home and where I always go to every-time my schedule permits," added Mbia, who represented Cameroon in last year's Fifa World Cup in Brazil.
Mbia had earlier sent a solidarity message to the Cameroonian government, calling on them to secure the safety of the citizenry and ensure unity in the country.
