It was show of shame at the Serob Hotel Abuja camp of the U-20 women national team, the Falconets, yesterday as the ladies refused to vacate the hotel as directed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), until the soccer federation clears all the arrears of their bonuses and allowances.
The players, who arrived the country yesterday, had earlier carried out the same threat at their Crown Royal Hotel in Papua New Guinea, when they refused to return to Nigeria unless they were paid all their allowances. A reliable source inside camp informed our correspondent that it took the intervention of the NFF technical department staff, Siji Lagunju and head of Women football department, Ruth David, to persuade the players to leave their hotel rooms to the country.
It was further gathered that NFF deputy general secretary, Emmanuel Ikpeme who addressed the protesting players in Abuja urged them to collect the transport fares to their various destinations which the federation would give them, threatening that the NFF will direct the hotel managers to eject them forcefully when their stay expires.
According to our source; “After persuading us to return to Nigeria, the NFF told us here in Abuja that they don’t know when they will pay us because they do not have money. Ikpeme who addressed us warned us that the hotel people will forcefully eject us when our stay expires and the federation will not protect us.”
“He said the NFF will only pay us when they get the money and that we are not the only national team the federation owe bonuses and allowances,” one of the players said in confidence.
Reacting, the General Secretary of the federation, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, dismissed the report, stressing that there is no element of truth in it. “It is not true that the players are protesting non-payment of their allowances. It is not also true that we have threatened to evict them from the hotel.”
credit: sunnewsonline