FG Not Aware Of Siasia, U-23 Pre-Olympic Tour – Sports Minister
Solomon Dalung, Minister of Youth and Sports Development[/caption]
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, on Tuesday said Nigeria U-23 head coach Samson Siasia took his team to a tour of the United States for a pre-Olympic tournament without an approval from the sports ministry.
Dalung, who made the statement at a stakeholders meeting in preparation for the Rio Olympics in Abuja, noted that his ministry does not know anything about the trip embarked upon by the Dream Team.
The minister said this in reaction to reports that players of the U-23 National team were ejected from their hotels in USA following shortage of funds.
Advertisement
According to him, the move by the Federal Government to disassociate itself from the trip was timely, going by the human trafficking activities of some desperate Nigerians.
He said that the ministry could not take responsibility for anything that was not done under the protection of the Nigerian laws.
I am just hearing the news of their suffering and threat to throw them out of their hotel in U.S for the first time,’’ Dalung said.
“I am hearing the story of our U-23 team camping in the U.S for the first time now; we don’t know who took them there and what their mission there is.
Advertisement
“It’s like when somebody goes to market and have problem, then, he will hold the ministry responsible.
“How does it become our problem if the team traveled without our knowledge or did they say they informed the ministry?
“So, before you ask us to account for something, you should be sure that we are aware of the situation in the first place.
Saisia and his team are currently in a training camp in Atlanta, United States as they are prepare for next month’s Rio Olympic Games in Brazil.
Dalung likened the incident to a similar one which occurred in Benin Republic recently.
Advertisement
The minister continued: “I was in London when I was told that they were ejecting and throwing out Team Nigeria athletes in Benin Republic.
“It was painted as if we sent them there, but I investigated and discovered that there was no correct documentation of their travelling.
“There are very serious instances of people approaching us requesting for visas to travel when they are not going for anything that has to do with the federation; they want to traffic Nigerians.
“If somebody has a birthday of his friend and he moved his team to play for him, I cannot be compelled to account for them.
“If they have thrown them out of the hotel, they should know who took them there,’’ he said.
