Omidiran denies negligence over Coach’s death

At a press forum in Lagos today, June 30, she declared that her conscience is clear over any allegation of negligence in the death of the coach. She also declared that the re-admission of her hitherto relegated club back into the premier division of the female league had nothing to do with her membership of the NFA.

“Coach  Akeem was not actually the coach of my club before his death. It is true that for over three years he pressurised me to allow him take up the coaching of the club but I did not allow him. At a point he insisted that he must do the job, but had I just got into the FA and was very busy, he went on to organise some players for me but we had not even employed him nor discussed terms with him before he died.

 When I heard of his death the biggest problem became that I had not even a single document on him. I was only able to locate his home address two weeks after he had been buried. Still, I got on to his family and organised the forty day burial for him. Thereafter, I elected to sponsor his daughter up to the university level. I have also mobilised his wife to start up a business.
So, I really had no contract with him, but on humanitarian grounds I have done all within my capacity to take care of his family. Some members of the NFA board also supported me with donations to take care of his family.”

On the re-entry of her club, Omidiran Babes into the female top division, she admitted that her club was earlier relegated from the zone but another club which gained promotion opted out. With the opening, she applied to the NFA to be re-admitted. She said the application was considered in order to fill up the vacant space but that was after she had paid the stipulated charges to the NFA.

Reports by Fred Edoreh