Dalung and NFF Fight Dirty Over Accusations of Fraud At Rio 2016

Minister of Youth and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung

 

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung has hinted at shady deals behind the country’s football team being stranded for several days at their training base in Atlanta, USA, before they finally made their way to the  2016 Olympics in Brazil.

The Dream Team only flew into Brazil barely seven hours before their opening match against Japan.

 

And Dalung said on a television interview on Thursday that the episode revealed “quiet dirty” details which those involved cannot defend themselves against when they are confronted with.

“The Atlanta event was quiet dirty and some of the actors (involved) cannot stand before Nigeria (to answer to these charges),” Dalung alleged.

“The event of Atlanta was another attempt to rip the country off.”

 

Dalung said he has a receipt from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for the charter flight that eventually flew the team from Atlanta to Manaus when he alleged that Delta Airlines confirmed to his officials that the flight was their own “contribution” to the country’s Olympic campaign.

 

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has replied describing the insinuations by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung in a television interview that the issue of the Dream Team being stranded in Atlanta, USA, prior to Rio 2016 as hoax.

 

Chairman of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee, Honourable Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande, who is a member of the House of Representatives, said the entire NFF board was shocked by the remarks of the Minister.

 

He stated that the NFF President, Mr Amaju Pinnick, had been giving members of the board updates of useful meetings he has been having with the Sports Minister since he arrived in Brazil.

“The NFF Board and Management are taken aback by these insinuations. The NFF President has been telling us of meeting between him and the Minister on how to avoid the kind of situation we got into in the USA in the future. So, the Minister’s latest statements are a bombshell.

“We are not openly challenging the Minister, but we must set the records straight. To start, we do not have any partnership with Delta Airlines, a company that we owe much gratitude for the way it came to the rescue to airlift our team to Brazil. The names of NFF’s partners and sponsors are known to the public.

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