A Japanese doctor who was touched by Nigeria’s Olympic football team’s ability to overcome a travel hitch to flourish at the Rio Games, has donated $390,000 to the team.

But football officials, blamed for the hitch in the first place, have reportedly seized the money, saying it has to be routed through them for the players the money was meant for.

A crisis is currently brewing between members of the football team and officials of Nigeria Football Federation over the money.

Katsuya Takasu, a Tokyo-based plastic surgeon, told the Nigerian embassy there he was travelling to Rio to personally hand over the money.

He directed in a letter that the team coach, Samson Siasia, and captain, Mikel Obi, be given $200,000 and $190,000 respectively.

By Saturday, reports emerged that some NFF officials had taken over the process of sharing the money, asking Takasu to give them the money to distribute to the team members.

“More trouble in the dream team camp….the money from the Japanese man to the dream team has been hijacked by the NFA,” Idah Peterside, Nigeria’s former goalkeeper, said Saturday.

He said the NFF wanted to use the money to pay salaries of coaches.

“Bitrus Bewarang was sent to get the money from the Japanese, but the players say it’s their money,” he said.

NFF denied the claims, saying as a “sovereign nation”, such donation must follow the proper channel.

“Nigeria is a sovereign nation and such a donation must go through a process. If we get a go-ahead, it will go directly to the team,” Amaju Pinnick, the NFF president, said. “To say NFF has ‘hijacked’ the money is outright mischief. The checks must be concluded and we are given a go-ahead to collect by the government.”

http://www.freespch.com/2016/08/20/japanese-doctor-donates-390000-to-nigeria-olympic-team-but-cash-is-hijacked/

Na wa o

if na me, i go break bottle for their head, shuuuuuu! when i was running like fowl with the Germans in the field, where was NFF....mtcheeew

Na wa

Rubbish! If na me be Katsuya, I go collect my money back put am for Siasia hand personally. What nonsense

I don't believe this story coming from a blog. Bloggers will write anything to drive traffic

Pls notify us when those idiotic officials will touch down in Naija ... me will personally welcome them with a pump

Hahaha am not suprise at all,they will soon tell the dream team to hand over their bronze medals for sale so as to be able to afford their departure flight tickets...#anythingispossiblewiththisGovernment