Following Samson Siasia announcement that he is quitting his post as coach of the Nigeria U23s that won bronze at the Rio 2016 Olympics, Owngoalnigeria.com gathered the cash donation made to his team by a Japanese surgeon was the genesis of his issues with his employers.
Billionaire Japanese surgeon Katsuya Takasu, gave the Nigerian team a total of $390,000 (N78.8m) for their bronze medal feat at the Rio Olympics, after falling in love with the team after their 5-4 victory over his country despite their late arrival in Brazil.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) who are presently cash strapped tried to hijack the donation meant for the players,coaches and backroom staff of the team, insisting it belongs to the federation.
Siasia resisted their orders to remit the money, much with the support of his captain Mikel who also told the NFF that any attempt to temper with the cash gift will lead to a boycott of the bronze medal game against Honduras.
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The NFF at that point got angry and threatened to deal with the coach, which they started by firstly collecting the official car given to him from his wife even shortly before the bronze medal match against Honduras.
They also abandoned the team upon arrival in Nigeria with only the NFF president addressing the boys, and even at that Amaju Pinnick made no mention of the backlog of bonuses the players are owed.
On his part, the coach of the team has also not been paid for several months, and his resignation could be the start of a legal battle between him and the football house over his entitlements.
