Football stakeholders condemn Dalung over denial of Siasia’s team

By Patrick Omorodion
The recent statement by the Minister of
Sports and Youth Development that officials of
the national U-23 football team are engaged in
human trafficking because he was not briefed
before the team set out on the trip to the
United States has drawn the ire of some
football stakeholders.

A national official of the Nigerian Football
Supporters Club told Sports Vanguard that the
minister, Barrister Solomon Dalung’s
statement, if truly he said it, has not only
embarrassed the country before the
international community but put a question
mark on the integrity of the entire coaching
staff.
“I was shocked to read that the minister said
the U-23 officials were involved in human
trafficking. How could he have said that for
God’s sake?. That statement has not only
embarrassed us as a country but has ridiculed
the players and put a question mark on the
coaches,” he said.
He stressed that for a minister whose
responsibility it was to provide the enabling
environment for athletes representing the
country to train and excel in competitions to
turn around to deny them smacks of the
highest irresponsibility.
“From his actions so far since he assumed
office, the sports minister has shown he knows
nothing about the dynamics of sports and is
not ready to learn either. If he knows the
terrain is strange to him and therefore cannot
handle it, he should ask the president to
redeploy him or better still, resign honourably
instead of embarrassing the country
everyday,” the stakeholder, who pleaded
anonymity, said. Another stakeholder and the
Sports Editor of the New Telegraph
newspaper, Adekunle Salami described the
minister’s statement as not only absurd but
equally reckless.
Stressing that “The Nigeria Football
Federation, even despite its internal issues,
went as far as sending the U-23 team on tour
and rather than commend the football body,
the minister publicly condemned the
federation.”
Salami concluded by saying that “Dalung
should simply resign or tell Mr President to
assign him to another ministry. He is not
worthy of leading Team Nigeria to Rio
Olympics. He knows nothing and he is not
ready to learn. It is a SHAME.”