After successfully guiding Nigeria U-23 side to third place at the men’s football tournament at the just concluded 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil, Samson Siasia has decided to walk out on the job as a result of poor treatment meted to him by the sports ministry and the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).
The Dream Team VI endured poor preparations and lack of support from the sports administrators coupled with the delayed flight before landing in Brazil, five hours before their opening game against Japan.
But the boys against all these challenges did the nation proud by coming home with a Bronze medal at the Rio Olympics.
Siasia cited “a disrespectful football system” as reason for his action. He said he no longer want to have anything to do with the game in the country.
He recalled that he and his players had “a turbulent and incredible campaign in Brazil’’ during the Olympics and he had now had enough.
“I have reached that point where I have to say I have had enough,” Siasia said.
“I’ve gone several months without getting paid and also years of being derided and disrespected by the sports authorities in Nigeria. But I am done already.
“It’s sad that after all we went through to get to Brazil and after we ended up winning a bronze medal, the players, as well as coaching and backroom staff, never received a `thank you’ message in appreciation.
“It was unimaginable that this could still happen in spite of the turbulent time we had at the Olympics,’’ the coach said.
He pointed at the embarrassment he and his team had faced in the hands of the Youths and Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, and said he had thought it all out.
“First we had the Minister deriding us for camping in Atlanta, U.S. and he even denied our existence as a group. This was before the flight problems.
“Our players had to embark on a strike to be heard.
“But the boys kept a good spirit to win an incredible medal, only to be publicly criticised for speaking to the Japanese surgeon who supported and rewarded the team for their brave spirit.
“I’ve taken a deep look at everything and concluded that things need to change for us to progress as a country, and this is not just in football but in our general lives.
“I have fulfilled my obligations as a citizen, footballer and coach. So, right now I do not want to be involved in the Nigerian football system anymore,” Siasia said.
“I want to ask these people who are saying they want to do all manner of checks to say what they have done for us during and after our campaign at the Olympics.
“Do you know that since we returned from Brazil, nobody from the NFF or ministry has called us to say we did well?
The same NFF that cannot pay local coaches salaries is willing to cough out $47,000 to pay an expatriate monthly.
At a time when that the country is battling with serious economic recession, where manufactures are seriously looking for forex to grow the economy, Amaju NFF board will be paying a low ranked foreign coach a whooping sum of $47,000 which is over N18million per month.
Following Siasia’s decision to quit Nigeria coaching job, Godfrey Gaiya, a former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Sports has faulted the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) lead by Amaju Pinnick for the resignation of U-23 coach.
Gaiya pointed that Siasia’s action was an indication that the Amaju Pinnick led board of the NFF cannot manage the national teams.
“Siasia is not the first person to resign; Sunday Oliseh also resigned his appointment.
“Stephen Keshi also resigned and if you recall, my committee had to beg Keshi not to resign after winning the AFCON 2013; so, it is a very bad omen.
“It is disastrous and an indication that our football house cannot manage even the coaches of the national team because there is no coach that has an enabling environment to work that will want to resign.
“It is the system that has made Siasia to do what he has done; he has sacrificed for this nation several times and he led Nigeria to the only medal we won at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
“For him to resign after winning the only medal tells you about the NFF and football administration and the insincerity of those in power,’’ Gaiya said.
It’s a pity and shame to Nigerian football administrators that a dynamic and selfless personality with seal of patriotism to Nigerian football is been treated like nobody.
When will we learn to appreciate and encourage our own coaches? Nigerian football has seen the highest level of decline under the leadership Amaju Pinnick lead NFF board, and just recently the NFF hired a German tactician, Gernot Rohr, as the national team technical director and promised to give him all the necessary support to excel, while we frustrate our indigenous coaches.
Hmmm . . . Nigerian football seriously needs urgent revival to avert further looms.
ANTHONY NLEBEM
@AnthonyNlebem
