The Nigeria
Football Federation, NFF has shot down the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung’s
defence that he knew nothing about the national U-23 team’s trip to Atlanta,
USA preparatory for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
To prove that
the minister was briefed about the trip and re quest put to him to allow the
federation take extra members of delegation
who will make the team’s work easier, as against his allegation that
they it padded the team list, the letter was sent to Sports Vanguard for
verification.
The letter
which was signed by the General Secretary of the NFF, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi was
dated May 9, 2016 with Reference Number NFF/OGS/GEN/Vol. XVI/129 and received
at the office of the minister on May 10, 2016 duly signed for. The letter also
copied to the Permanent Secretary of the ministry has as its heading,
“Conveyance of Nigeria’s U-23 Team’s Program ahead of Rio Olympics and Request
on Extra Members of Delegation”.
Informing the
minister that the sports ministry would be responsible for the entire bill of
the team’s camping programme and friendly matches in the United Kingdom, the
NFF wrote “This is to respectfully convey to the Honourable Minister, the
program of the Nigeria U-23 Football Team, also known as Dream Team, with
regards to proposed camping in the United Kingdom and the United States of
America ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.”
It also
informed the minister that the organisers of the Invitational Tournament in
South Korea told the NFF that they would cater for 20 players and 10 officials
during the friendly matches. As a result, the NFF asked the minister to
“approve for release by the ministry the attached estimate (about N22.5m and
$471,052 for the Ist phase in the UK and N1.7m and $154,603 for the 2nd phase
in the USA) for the entire program in the UK and the bill for the extra 10 players
and one official in the USA, as head coach (Siasia) intends to make the trip
with 30 players and 11 officials.
The NFF would
however, not confirm if the minister gave the approval after receiving the
letter as all calls and messages put across to the president, Amaju Pinnick and
General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi were not replied. Meanwhile a member of
the team told Sports Vanguard that “I can hit my chest and and say it’s only
our football team that had the fewest accompanying officials, we never went
with 35 officials. If you can, ask him(the minister) how he appointed for the
team a Welfare Officer, who is (President) Buhari’s late brother’s son, whose
mother is the CoS to the First Lady by name Modibo.”
Another source
said because Siasia refused to include one player the minister brought to him
in the team because the boys was not good enough, he incurred the wrath of the
minister who then went onto deny knowledge of the team’s presence in the USA.
However, when the minister heard of the team’s travails in the US he said, “I
am hearing the story of our U-23 team camping in the USA for the first time
now; we don’t know who took them there and what their mission there is. It’s
like when somebody goes to market and have problem, then, he will hold the
ministry responsible.”
Source:
Vanguard
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