Super Eagles Coach Salisu Yusuf Handed One-Year Ban, Fined $5,000

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has banned Super Eagles Team B Coach Salisu Yusuf for one year and fined him US$5000.

The sanctions were imposed on Salisu, following the adoption of a report by the NFF Committee on Ethics and Fair Play.

Advertisement

The committee in a statement on Wednesday said the ban was from investigations done after Salisu was filmed by a Ghanaian investigative reporter, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, receiving bribe to field two players, in the 2018 CHAN Competition in Morocco.

But Salisu had claimed that at the time that the money was a gift and that the players were selected on merit and he had also insisted that the money he collected was $750, not $1,000.

The committee maintained that according to Art. 20, 21 (1) and 21 (3) of the NFF Code of Ethics and Art. 10 and 11 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, the 56-year-old was guilty of receiving bribe.

The committee’s report read in part: “Established from the admission of Coach Salisu Yusuf and also found as a fact from the documentary and video evidence before it, that he accepted the cash gift of $1,000 offered by Tigers Player’s Agency, an undercover reporter, purportedly interested in acting on behalf of Players Osas Okoro and Rabiu Ali, for their inclusion in the list of players for 2018 CHAN Competition in Morocco.

Advertisement

“The Committee found as a fact that it was not an error of judgment on the part of Coach Salisu Yusuf but a conscious and deliberate decision to have accepted the cash gift of $1,000 from the decoy player agent/undercover reporter, purportedly interested in acting on behalf of Players Osas Okoro and Rabiu Ali, even though the evidence before the Committee did not establish that his conduct influenced the choice of the two players.

“That the two players could have made the team to 2018 CHAN Competition in Morocco on the basis of their talent and performance.

“That Coach Salisu Yusuf did not accept the offer of 15% of the anticipated transfer fees of the said players, as there was no follow –up action on the promise.

“That the act of the Coach, which was widely published on the British Broadcasting Corporation, has a damaging effect on the reputation and integrity of Nigerian Football, as he ought to have conducted himself more professionally in line with the Code of Conduct signed alongside his Contract with the Nigeria Football Federation, as his conduct in public and in secret should be exemplary, since coaches are role models.

“That the FIFA Code of Ethics, NFF Code of Ethics and FIFA Disciplinary Code, did not contemplate negligence or error of judgment as a defence to violation of any of the provisions as contained therein, as punitive measures must be adopted to serve as deterrent to other intending offenders, even though, that he is a first time offender.”

Advertisement

Yusuf was assistant to Gernot Rohr at the recent World Cup in Russia and led the Super Eagles to 2018 CHAN finals in Morocco.

Coach Salisu has been left out of the Nigerian national team coaching crew for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Seychelles on Saturday.

Leave a comment

Advertisement