The Golden Eaglets who finished off the Chile U-17 world cup
tournaments in victory as well as scooping major awards have been thrown into a
state of shock as they were reportedly handed a paltry N20,000 before they
dispersed from Abuja last Thursday. According to report,
the Nigerian Football
Federation, NFF, probably cash-trapped offered the players the meagre sum of
money which is now causing so much dissatisfaction among them.“It’s surely not the best way to treat heroes. The money they gave us could not even fetch us flight tickets to take us home to see our loved ones,’’ said one of the players who did not want his name in print for fear of victimization by officials of the football federation.
Another player said on phone yesterday:
“I’ve heard about how badly players have been treated in the past. I didn’t think ours would come so soon. I am still, however, grateful to God we came home with the trophy. The victory has opened new doors of opportunity which we are already exploring,’’
said the player who is on verge of sealing a lucrative professional contract
with an English Premier League club.
However, the optimism among the team is when they eventually
get to have the rescheduled dinner with President Buhari on November 28, they
will be well rewarded.
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