How Fenerbahçe gave me Turkish passport, name to keep me from PSG – Okocha

Former Super Eagles captain Augustine Okocha, known as Jay Jay Okocha, has revealed that Turkish club Fenerbahçe issued him a Turkish passport under a different name during his two-year tenure at the club. This move came about following an interest from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), who wanted to sign him. Fenerbahçe, however, insisted that Okocha was "not for sale." In an interview on the Obi-Wan podcast, the footballer explained that the Turkish club valued him so much that letting him go became a "good problem" for them.

Okocha was asked to choose a Turkish name for his passport, and he settled on "Muhammed Yahuz," inspired by a colleague at the club whom he had a fondness for. He said, "They gave me Turkish passport with Turkish name. They asked me to choose Turkish name, so the easiest one was Muhammed… was a guy that was working for us. So we all loved him, so I picked his name."

The passport became essential as Fenerbahçe refused to let Okocha leave when PSG showed interest, forcing him to temporarily withdraw from training to push the transfer through. Okocha highlighted the significance of the passport, saying, "It was a problem for me to leave. They didn’t want me to leave, which is a good problem."

During his time at Fenerbahçe, Okocha narrated an amusing incident where he was addressed by his Turkish name, Muhammed Yahuz, during a flight. He had not yet gotten used to traveling with the document and initially mistook the greeting. Today, Okocha still travels with the Turkish passport, although he is more commonly referred to as "JJ" by those who know him.