Coach of the Nigerian U-23 team that won Bronze in the just concluded Olympic games Samson Siasia has explained how the money given to them by Japanese Plastic surgeon and billionaire Katsuya Takasu was shared.
The doctor had given the team $390,000 to share for winning the bronze medal, Nigeria’s only medal, at the Olympics.
Siasia also criticised the Nigerian Football Federation for their objections to the money gifted to the team saying that the investigations called for by the top dogs in the federation were unnecessary.
“What actually happened is that the man was just curious how a team that was neglected and abandoned could arrive Rio under five hours and defeat the Japanese team that had all they needed and have been put together for over three years, that was his amazement.” Siasia said explaining what transpired.
He continued, “These guys who are saying they want to do all manner of checks, what have they done for us? Do you know that since we returned, nobody from the NFF or Ministry has called us to say that we did well. The president came and just talked and that was it, well it is not the first time he will be talking.
“When players don’t even have $100 dollars in their pocket and you want to come and preach to them.” Siasia said the entire amount of $390,000 was shared equally among all the members of the team including the supporting staff.
“The Japanese benefactor said $200,000 and $190,000 was supposed to be for bronze medal and it was split among the players and officials equally. It is not my personal money and this must be made clear.
“What I got was what every other player of official in the team got about $14,000 dollars each. The man came to Salvador where we played and gave $200,000 as draft to me and $190,000 to Mikel because he cannot write cheque to every member of the team, he made it simpler so that we all can share the money and now we are paying to the individual accounts of the boys.
“So make this issue clear to everybody that has been following it, the money was never meant for me or Mikel alone but for the entire team including the doctors and other backroom staff”.