Falcons’ saga: They weren’t paid because we didn’t expect them to win – minister

Nigeria Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Solomon Dalung, says the super Falcons were not paid their match bonuses because the Federal government did not expect them to win the Nations Cup.

The Super Falcons had successfully retained the title they won 2-years ago, by beating all-comers to the crown of the CAF African Women Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Mr. Dalung, the Sports minister had come out, today, to explain the reasons for the current difficulty in paying the player their winning bonuses.

Dalung spoke to journalists at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, regarding the unpaid bonuses to the victorious Falcons and the current protest being staged by the girls regarding their pay.

The Super Falcons has seized the cup they won in Cameroon, demanding that the Federal Government viz sports ministry pay them the #238 million accumulated bonuses being owed them by the Sports governing body in Nigeria before it is presented.

The Super falcons had earlier threatened the President Buhari administration, that if the government refused to pay their allowances, they would go as far as embarking on a streetwise protest in the Federal capital territory.

Our dear Sports minister had come out to say, that the Federal government did not foresee a situation where the girls would come out victorious in Cameroon and hence did not plan for the eventuality of meeting their financial demands.

Quoting the Sports minister, he said:

“Don’t forget that nobody even knew the team will emerge victoriously.

“If we were confident they will emerge victoriously, all the federation would have done is to plan for the process of participation and entitlement.
“It is already an established in sports tradition when you win this is what you are entitled to.

“The situation is highly unfortunate and I don’t like it. These girls have given confidence to women who want to embrace sports, so this will go a long way in killing this laudable achievement. It is unfortunate but we will make sure the right thing is done.”

The minister blamed the problem on the football federation stating that, if funds for tournaments such as these was requested on time, it would’ve been easier to meet such demands.

Yesterday, Super Falcons striker, Francesca Ordega told AfricanFootball that she regretted playing football for Nigeria; sighting unpaid allowances as a major bane of football in the land.

Kingsley Ukpai

I write, I write and I keep writing... Most importantly, I make sure everything I write makes sense!

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