...Says NFF abandoned him, technical crew
By ROMANUS UGWU, Abuja
Head Coach of the national Under-20 team, John Sam Obuh, has raised an alarm alleging that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is starving his team of fund. Obuh, while crying over deplorable welfare condition of the team and crew told the media at the team's Austral camp yesterday that the debilitating situation was a major distraction to both himself and crew members ahead of their departure to Turkey for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
He lamented that barely three days to the departure of the team to the World Cup venue, his family, dependents and those of his crew members were in dire need back home in Nigeria, owinf to failure of the federation to pay his monthly salaries and undisclosed backlog of arreas running into several millions of naira.
He had similarly cried out shortly before the African Youth Championship (AYW) in Algeria before the federation released some amount to pay part of the arrears owed him.
"It is difficult to be saying this because when you open up on some of these things, people may read different meanings to it. But, I must say that my situation and, to a large extent, those of my crew members, is not the best now. "For somebody going to a tournament such as the World Cup and every day my family members calling over their welfare is not good.
I'm supposed to be working, but as I talk now, nobody is saying anything about our salaries. I'm not talking about the backlog which they promised to pay during the African Championship, on which nothing has been done," Obuh lamented.
The former Golden Eaglets chief coach further maintained that such concerns, pecuniary, as they maybe, are big distraction to the crew which soccer fans may not be aware of. His words: "Everybody wants the team to do well, which is good, it is our desire to do well, coming this far we all want to do the best for our country.
That is what every football fan wants. But, it is important that people also realize the challenge we face in this other aspect," he noted.
However, despite the challenges, the former Sharks FC of Port Harcourt chief coach assured that his boys are rearing to go, expressing confidence that the unimpressive outing at the Toulon Invitational Tournament may be the catalyst the team needs to do the country proud at the Championship proper.
Via: Sun News Online