NFF Still Owe Falconets Coaches, Players, Eight Months After World Cup

Eight Months After World Cup, NFF Still Owe Falconets coaches, players By Admin As Women International Day was celebrated around world, it has emerged that Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, are still owing the nation’s Under 20 women national team, the Falconets and their coaching crew match allowances, bonuses and salaries eight months after they played in the quarterfinals of the Under 20 Women World Cup in France in August 2018. Investigation by BSNsports.com.ng reveals that the head coach of the Falconets, Christopher Danjuma who is earning eight hundred thousand (N.8 million) per month, have not been paid for more than 5 months. His assistants who are on three hundred thousand (N.3 million) naira a month salary, have also not been paid for a full calendar year, totalling N3.6 million. The players, BSNsports further gathered, are being owed as well. Recall that BSNSports had earlier, following the elimination of the team at the quarterfinal stage of the World Cup by Spain in August, reported how the players and officials are owed months of salaries, match bonuses and allowances. Recall also that the NFF Communications Department reacted with a bundle of 'lies' coated in quotes from officials of the team. Some of the officials have asserted that they have not been paid. One of them even added, “if not the money the minister dashed us in Austria, we would not have gotten anything at all.” The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Barrister Solomon Dalung who spoke to journalists in September 2018 after the launching of the Elite Athlete Development grant at the National Stadium in Abuja. said: “Well, I can confirm to Nigerians that the girls (Falconets players) and coaches have not been paid and if anybody is claiming that he/she has paid them, I think the person is being economical with the truth and its pathetic that young Nigerians who have served this country selflessly like the young girls could be made to undergo what they are facing at this point in time. This will only destroy the zeal to serve their country. He stated why he has to personally bail the team out of their predicament: “They were owed quite a large sum of money because since they went camping on the 10 May, they have not been paid a dime. The little that was paid to them was as a result of my intervention and they were paid half allowances of participation allotment. So, they are still being owed and anyone who said otherwise is a liar and does not have the interest of Nigeria football and players at heart.” “But, I think the NFF should be more transparent and open to disclose to Nigerians the truth about these innocent young girls. Lying openly about them will only compound the situation,” the minister advised. Barrister Solomon Dalung described it as utter falsehood and a cluster of esoteric jargons, as the players and officials of the Falconets have not been paid all their entitlements before and during the world cup. Informed sources said the NFF officials quoted Danjuma without reaching him. Contacts with the coaches and players showed that their allowances and outstanding are still been owed as at March 2019. In the same vein, another staff of the NFF also revealed to our correspondent that the Falconets officials are allegedly owed the sum of $11,175 aside the home match bonuses. The staff enumerated the debts: “They were (Falconets coach) supposed to be paid the following money if they are to go by what is on the ground since the world cup qualification. “Winning bonus per match is $3,000 × 2= $6,000. Draw one away game against Morocco $1,500. $6,000+1,500= $7,500 Traveling allowance $1,500 per trip and they have traveled to three countries namely: Tanzania, Morocco and South Africa. NFF only paid $425 instead of $4,500. So, they are owed $4,075 each. In total, if we add $7,500 + 4,075= $11, 575 per person,” the source revealed. Converting the sum of $11,575 at the official rate of N306 to the Dollar will mean that each member of the team is being owed the sum of N3,541,950.00 which Minister Dalung also explained “we got the approval to pay them but the Acting President overruled the payment during one of the many transitions between the crisis period.” NFF President, Amaju Pinnick has on several media quoted to have said that the federation is 65 percent financially self-dependent yet national team coaches, players, hotels, and airlines are owed. The question Nigerians are asking is, where are the sponsorship funds the federation is claiming to be their major achievement?