Morale
is low in the camp of the national U-23 side following the non-payment of their
pre-Olympics camping allowances by the Ministry of Sports and Youth
Development, a development that has forced the players to boycott yesterday’s
training session ahead of tonight’s quarter-final clash with Denmark. Despite a
bumpy ride to Rio, Nigeria rolled to two straight victories against Japan and
Sweden, but lost their final group B match to Colombia which was not enough to
stop them from qualifying for the first knock-out stage as group winners. But
no sooner had the dust from their last match settled did the players start
complaining over unpaid allowances owed them during the pre-Olympic camping
period in Nigeria and Atlanta, where they were subjected to the worst form of
neglect by the Ministry of Sports, the body supposedly responsible for the
preparations of Nigerian athletes for the Olympic Games. Their coach, Samson
Siasia sourced for sponsors to fund the team’s trip to Atlanta and while there,
had to use his contacts to get the team going as they were only entitled to bed
and breakfast, meaning they had to source for their lunch and dinner. When
their plight was brought to his attention, the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung
said he was not aware that the team were in Atlanta. He disowned them, saying
they went there on their own but was later reported to have visited them in
camp. It turned out to be all lies as he never visited them but authorised a
press release to be issued to that effect. The ministry paid 11 days of their
stay in Rio but is yet to pay for their more than 30 days camping, prompting
the players to boycott training ahead of tonight’s decisive tie with the Danes,
who hope to make the most of the disarray in the camp of the Eagles in
tonight’s make or break clash. The thinking of the players is that such boycott
would make the authorities in Nigeria compel the Sports Ministry to pay them
their outstanding allowances before the match against Denmark but recent
history suggests that the players are digging their grave, as evident in Eagles
capitulations at the last Confederations Cup and World Cup in Brazil, when the
players skipped training in protest for the release of their allowances. They
failed and lost their matches each time they did so. But they had their money.
An impeccable source with the team said that “the players refused to practice
today (yesterday) because they believe that the people concerned are not
showing interest about their problems. “Since we got to Brazil, nothing has
happened. When we were in camp in Nigeria, nothing happened. In Atlanta nothing
happened. Now that we are nearing the end of the Olympics, nothing has
happened. It is terrible that nothing has been paid outside the 11 days”, added
our source. The coaches are also being owed salary for five months.
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