Nigerian U-23 Team Threaten to Boycott Olympic Matches Over Unpaid Allowances

Samson Siasia

The Nigerian dream team currently excelling at the Rio 2016 Olymipcs in Brazil may be forced to pull out as the Ministry of Sports has failed in the payment of their allowances.

The Samson Siasia-tutored U-23 Olympic Eagles has threatened to boycott tomorrow's quarter-final match against Denmark if the government fails to provide its balance of allowances.

The team who topped Group B despite going down 2-0 to Colombia Wednesday are following in the steps of the senior national team, the Super Eagles who also protested in Brazil before their second round match against France at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The Eagles lost 2-0 and crashed out.

It would be recalled also that a similar protest by the U-20 team, the Flying Eagles cost them a match against Sudan who beat them 4-3 in Lagos after a 1-2 home loss in Omdurman.

According to sources from the team’s camp the players the protest is also tied to the unpaid five month salaries and allowances of the coaches which the NFF president, Amaju Pinnick has directed the secretariat to settle with the $60,000 grant received from CAF recently.

Africanfootball.com also quoted a source close to the team as saying that “The players said that their level of patriotism has already dwindled because of the way they have been treated by the government officials prior to the Olympic Games.

“As we speak now, the only money that the players have received was the $150 dollars per day for 11 days, while there are more than that 11 days still to be paid and no extra money was received for the matches played so far”, the source also disclosed.