FIFA Grant: Let The Probe Begin…..

0 81

Mike odeh

One of the reasons why the NFF has lately increased its begging habit for funds to prosecute games is probably because FIFA has stopped it’s “subvention” asking for proper documentation of the $802,000 last paid to the Football House from the $1.1m to be paid.

FIFA had frowned in a memo or query over the lavishing and scandalous manner the NFF may have spent the money since it could not present a proper and believable breakdown of what the amount was used for in a simple document.

This also is another reason why sponsors treat the NFF like a leper. Recall that virtually all the national teams have almost had their program scuttled in the last one year culminating in the AFCON miss of Super Eagles, CAF U-20 Championship miss of the Flying Eagles and CAF U-17 Championship miss of the  Golden Eaglets, all in 2017. …not forgetting the inability to sort out the entitlements of Super Falcons after conquering Africa in Cameroun a couple of weeks ago.

This huge embarrassment is one of the reasons why the Sports Minister, Barr Solomon Dalung ordered for the account of the NFF to be audited and submitted to him. If you ask me, I would say this exercise is long overdue.

People cannot just be spending money without accounting for it. Now, I have not said the NFF misappropriated the money…..until it proves otherwise (hence I used the word MAY above)……But it is really disturbing that the NFF has to wait till and for the minister’s order before preparing or presenting the document of how the said money was spent.

This shows the level of impunity in managing public funds and offices as exhibited by the NFF. Why did the NFF ignore the query of FIFA in the first place?

Football lovers, analysts, commentators and critics should be dispassionate on this issue,  talking about the minister’s order. This is not about witch-hunting, it is not about the any cold war between Dalung and the NFF, it is not about Amaju Pinnick, it is not about the personality of Dalung neither is it about Dalung’s grammar, mistakes or wrong expressions.

It is about how $802,000 was spent….Yes, there are other issues highlighted to be looked into but basically the issue of FIFA grant spent without proper documents is the major issue. It portrays Nigeria in a very bad light especially in the face of our anti-corruption war. It is one of the reasons why sponsors are running away from our football and indeed the NFF……

Of course under such situation, the NFF must be a perpetual beggar hence our national teams cannot adequately prepare for competitions or excel if they managed to take part in the competitions. I cannot wait for the audited account or for the account to be audited………call it account audit or probe, it doesn’t matter. …..Let it just begin

Leave a Reply