Sports
Nigeria’s Athletes In Oregon Grumble Over Allowances
There are strong indications that all is not well in Nigeria’s camp at the ongoing World Athletics Championships, holding in Eugene, United States, as athletes are said to be grumbling over allowances.
The report of alleged disquiet in the team’s camp in Oregon came on Monday, just as sources close to the Nigeria’s U-20 camp hinted that the country might not participate in this year’s World U-20 Athletics Championships billed for Cali, Colombia, due to scarcity of fund. The competition in Colombia holds from August 2 to 6.
Some of the athletes, who spoke with Tidesports source shortly before leaving the camp for morning session of the competition, on Monday, alleged that their morale was becoming low due to non-payment of allowances.
“It is not good for us to be competing here, and nobody is talking about payment of camp allowances. We are maintaining our cool for now, but for how long? Somebody should drum it into the ear of the sports minister that we need our camp allowances,” one of the athletes said.
Another athlete said: “We need motivation at this stage of the championship. I asked questions about our allowances, and no one is giving me any concrete answer. It is not the best way to go.”
A source close to the AFN hinted, yesterday, that the Secretary, Adeniyi Beyioku, is expected to travel to Oregon in a few days time to ‘sort things’ out.
Efforts to speak with Beyioku were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, there is apprehension in the camp of the U-20 team that Nigeria might not travel to Cali, Colombia for the World U20 Championships in August due to lack of fund.
At the last edition of the U20 championship held in Nairobi, Kenya, Nigeria’s track and field stars re-wrote history by finishing third on the medals table with an unprecedented haul of four gold and three bronze medals.
The four gold medals won in Nairobi, Kenya, was the highest Nigeria has achieved, two more than the country has ever won in any edition of the U20 championships.
The source stated that unless the Federal Government releases funds, Nigeria might stay away from the championship.
The nation’s U20 athletes have been in camp in Asaba, Delta State for 10 days.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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