Siasia on Resignation: "I've gone several months without being paid'

Despite his team clinching the bronze medal at the Rio Olympics 2016, Samson Siasia has resigned from his post as head coach of the Dream Team with reason of 'a disrespectful system'.

'I have reached that point where I have to say I have had  enough, I've gone several months without getting paid, years of being derided and disrespected by the sports authorities in Nigeria but I am done already." Siasia, whose contract expires at the end of the Olympics, told BBC Sport. 

It's sad that after all we went through to get to Brazil and end up winning a bronze medal, the players, coaching and backroom staff never received a 'thank you' in appreciation despite a turbulent time at the Olympics" Sisasia added. 

"First we had the minister deride us for camping in Atlanta and even denied our existence as a group before the flight problems," recalled Siasia. 

"Players had to embark on a strike to be heard, then 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 not just in football but our general lives.I have fulfilled my obligations as a citizen, footballer and coach; right now I do not want to be involved in the Nigerian football system anymore," said Siasia.

The NFF, already heavily criticized for their treatment of the Nigerian football teams, are yet to respond to Siasia's resignation.
Siasia is Nigeria's most decorated coach at the Olympics after winning a silver medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Did NFF hijack Japanese donation of about $390,000 to Dream Team Vi?

Katsuya Takasu

There are reports that officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have hijacked the donation of wealthy Japanese man Katsuya Takasu to the Dream team Vi totalling $390,000.

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper and SuperSports football analyst Peterside Idah posted on his Twitter handle that the officials of the football house want to use the money to pay coaches’ salaries.

Katsuya Takasu

“More trouble in the dream team camp….the money from the Japanese man to the dream team.has been hijacked by the NFA .they want to use,” Idah tweeted.

“The money to pay the coaches as salaries/ Bitrus Bewarang was sent to get the money from the Japanese, but the players say it’s their money,” he added.

More trouble in the dream team camp….the money from the Japanese man to the dream team.has been hijacked by the NFA .they want to use

— idah pee (@IdahPeterside) August 20, 2016

THE money to pay the coaches as salaries/ Bitrus Bewarang was sent to get the money from the Japanese ,but the players say it’s there money
— idah pee (@IdahPeterside) August 20, 2016

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick has blasted former goalkeeper saying he is ‘mischievous’.

“His message was a lie, an atrocious false alarm before an important match,” Pinnick raged. “I had exchanged correspondence with the Honourable Minister on the issue of the donation and we agreed that there was need for caution.

“The minister said to me that he read the donation in the papers and had expressed serious concern. I also received a mail from the NFF Integrity Officer who expressed very serious concern with this kind of donation.

“I got in touch with the ambassador of Nigeria to Brazil and the honourable minister to say that whatever had to be done should be done after the bronze medal match, to avoid any distractions. The NFF may be having financial challenges, but I assure you nobody in the Federation is interested in that money.

“If we get the government’s go-ahead to collect the money, no official of the NFF will be involved even in the collection. The money will be received directly by the team.”

Pinnick added that the status of Nigeria as a sovereign nation, and the integrity of Nigeria football, is bigger than such financial gains. “If we had rushed to collect that kind of money and hand over to the players, the same people who are condemning the NFF now would have said worse things.

“There are matters in the football world today that FIFA and the various confederations frown at. We are very much aware of that.

Japanese billionaire Katsuya Takasu promised each member of the Dream Team VI squad $30,000 should they win gold in football at the Rio Olympics.

Takasu also pledged $20,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze after the hearing financial crisis that have plagued the national U-23 team.

Nigeria Dream Team VI beat Honduras to win bronze

Nigeria claimed men’s football bronze at the Rio Olympics with an entertaining 3-2 win over Honduras in Belo Horizonte on Saturday to deny the Central Americans their first ever Olympic medal.

Two goals from Roma striker Sadiq Umar and namesake Aminu Umar’s fine finish early in the second-half put Nigeria 3-0 up.

Honduras battled until the end, though, as Anthony Lozano and Marcelo Pereira headed home in the final 20 minutes to set up a nervy finish for the 1996 gold medal winners.

Hosts Brazil are aiming for their first ever football gold medal in one of the most anticipated events of the Games against world champions Germany at Rio’s Maracana with kick-off at 1730 local time (2030GMT).

Olympics: Nigeria beat Sweden, qualify for quarterfinals

Nigeria's player Sadiq heads the ball to score his team's first goal during the football match between Sweden and Nigeria for the Olympic Games Rio 2016 in Arena Amazonia, Manaus, Brazil, August 7th, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / RAPHAEL ALVES

The Nigeria U-23 football team on Monday qualified for the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games football event after a 1-0 victory over Sweden.

Determined to dictate the pace of the match, the Dream Team VI went on an early rampage with Umar Sadiq and Mikel Obi forcing saves from Sweden’s goalkeeper, Linde Andreas, in the 9th and 10th minutes respectively.

Oghenekaro Etebo, who banged four goals past Japan’s goalkeeper in their first game of the competition,  was denied time after time by Andreas.

Sadiq finally broke the deadlock at the 39th minute when he nodded home a looping cross from Stanley Amuzie.

Both sides had chances throughout the game but could not find the back of the net.

Nigeria top the Group B table with six points  ahead of Colombia; who have a game in hand and a point, Sweden are third with one point, while Japan are bottom of the log with no point and a game in hand.