01Home 02Football 03About Us 04Contact Us 05Advertise
Last Updated: 2004-10-05 18:28:47
Email to a friend  |  Printable version

FALCONS: Galadima promises sanctions

THE shame brought by the Nigerian women national football team's refusal to return home following their 4th consecutive victory at the African Women Championship held in Johannesburg, South Africa has taken a new turn as there are claims that an Igbo seccessionist group may have instigated the champions against returning home.

Vice President of Delta State FA Amaju Pinnick, said in Lagos on arrival from South Africa Tuesday that the group infiltrated the Falcons' camp and instigated them against the NFA. "I was in South Africa and saw everything, it was a sad development.

The group's banners were all over the place. They were every where in the team camp," Amaju said. "The girls were ready to return home especially after the chairman had offered his personal 3000 dollars to them," Amaju said. NFA chairman Ibrahim Galadima also painted a sad picture of the entire episode describing the entire incident as a sabotage. Galadima however blamed the Ministry of Sports for the ugly incident that has brought international embarrassment to Nigeria. "Hold the Sports Ministry responsible for the ugly incident in South Africa. We made a budget for them but they failed to provide the funds for the Championship.

 They should be held responsible. "It is very very sad because I pleaded with the girls to return home and even offered my own 3000 dollars to them," Galadima said on arrival from South Africa. He however did not rule out sanctions for the girls when they return. "I cannot say anything for sure now, but we will not rule out sanctions. It is very possible!," the chairman said. Nigeria defeated Cameroon 5-0 in the final game last Sunday to left the championship a record 4th consecutive time.

 The incident has also opened further debate on the desireability of the Sports Ministry's control of Football Matters in Nigeria using an authoritarian military decree 101 enacted in 1991 by former military President Ibrahim Babangida. World soccer governing body, FIFA recently threatened to sanctioned Nigeria if they obnoxious law is not replaced by next December. Mr. Amaju of the Delta FA also agrees the incident may have opened up the country to further debate at FIFA headquaters.

 By Jo Benson

7
Link  |  2004-10-05 18:38
luke (london)
Chineke God make you help our country nigeria o, Make you give our leaders wisdom o, first of all the way our so called leaders do things is messed up. I cant even believe that galadima is even thinking of punishing the falcons for protecting for their right, how stupid is that?. Its unbelievable the level of thinking of our football administrators. Nigeria stand the risk of being ban by FIFA if we dont sort our system out. The govt has turn the NFA into political post, they keep on putting the wrong people in charge of nigerian football. That stupid decree that babangida set up is nothing but rubbish. This country is far too talented for this people to waste everything away. I will like to commend the falcons for their actions, they have shown every other nigerian sports men and women how to stand up for their right. Useless NFA God punish them.
Link  |  2004-10-05 19:56
vichel (USA)
Galadima u are a no good son of a b***h, how there u talk about santioning the falcons when u and ur greedy officials even the NFA should be hanging by ur necks by now.U want to purnished the falcons because they asked for their money they worked for while u sit with ur fat belly eating what will choke u.Nigerians has spoken, and an autimatum has been given to u or else u will see the wraght of God. Shameless thiefs
Link  |  2004-10-05 20:58
isaac t (houston Tx)
This whole NFA and Sports ministry's non challant attitude towards the welfare of our national athletes is ridiculous and a shame to every meaningful citizen of the federal republic of Nigeria.
i must commend our girls for their excellent spirit and patriotism in featuring for the finals with such an outstanding performance.
i now understand that our leaders got no shame ONLY understands rebelous strikes and compulsive/hostile actions by their subjects. i can't afford burging my head about the kind of irresponsible and disgruntle elements that had perpetrated themselves into our national polity, it also beat my imagination that they would extend their sadistic challancy to our only source of national unity(SOCCER).
These brand of foes call them whatever names in NFA/SPORTS ministry should be brought to world ridicle for failing their civic responsiblities as leaders, rather than rewarding our super patriotic falcons, they decided to languish them in abject discomfort and disarray.
OBJ would have personally flown a jet with bunch of Ghana-must-go should the falcons insist at the 11th hour of the final match that they ain't gonna play till the government listens to their plight, but now that all set had been done, nigeria once again had maintained a unilateral 4 time african leader in female soccer, no body gives a damn about the goose that laid the golden eggs, instead rumours of sanctions had been voiced by Galadima.
The girls have the right to protest any unduly treatment they faced during the tournament, they were quit reasonable for not holding the entire nation to ransome on the final competition, this episode should send some kind of signals to our leaders that they may succeed to fool nigerians once, twice but cannot fool everybody all the time, this is just a piece of an ice berg, soonest the least child in Nigeria would device a means of standing tall for her rights.
i sincerely plead with well meaning nigerians and sports lovers to join hands together and compel our leaders to be humane enough in handling sports heros and patriots, we all wanna be proud of our nation, we must protect our soccer dominance in the globe, no one bunch of insensitive authoritarian foes(sports minister cum Galadima)would stop us!
God bless the super falcons for making my day in humiliating the cameroun national team and woe be tied whoever nurses any ambition to sanction the falcons.
Link  |  2004-10-05 21:38
abel.o (lagos)
TUFIAKA..."THE LION INDICTING THE DOG OF BEING CANIVOROUS"

WHEREAS THE LION IS THE CHIEF OF FLESH EATERS. MR. GALADAGA

ABI WETIN U R NAME BE, SOMETHING LIKE GALA PREFIXES UR NAME

WHO SHOULD BE SANCTIONED IF NOT U ....THE SCRIPTURE

SAYS "RATHER THAN MISLEADING ANY OF THESE LITTLE ONES , IT IS

BETTER THAT A MILESTONE IS HANGED AROUND SUCH ONES NECK

AND THROWN INTO THE SEA" THAT IS UR ONLY OPTION NO BI ME

TALK AM O...NA THE SCRIPTURE SAY SO (EVEN IF AM THE ONE NKO)

WELL SHA IF OBJ NO SANCTION U GOD'S JUDGEMENT IS ON U AND

THE REST. GET WISDOM AND SELL IT NOT ........SHIKENA !
Link  |  2004-10-05 22:43
MADUBA.m.a (china)
GALADIMA GOD PONISH YOU FOR EVER SAYING A WORD LIKE SANCTION.SANCTION THEM FOR WHAT?THIS GIRL WON SOMETHING FOR THE NATION AND YOU DONT WANT TO PAY THEM THERE MONEY.HAVE YOU GALADIMA EVER WON ANY THING FOR NIGERIA B4? MOTHER FUCKER!!!. YOU SHOULD FIRST ASK GOD FOR FORGIVENESS B4 THE ANGER OF GOD WILL BE ON YOU.SHAMELESS MAD MAN.
Link  |  2004-10-06 01:10
Gazzy (Isuochi, Abia State.)
I can now see clearly what the NFA people want....Nigerians listen! From Sports Minister to NFA, they've eaten all the big cash meant for the victorious FALCONS and they want to use the same GOLDEN GIRLS as scapegoats of their evil deeds. GOD forbid!
I advice the so called Delta state FA vice chairman to stear clear of these evil machinazations coz the big Ogas at the glass house want to use him to implicate the freedom fighters in this case so as to exanoratte themseves from the fire raging within .
I'm solidly behind the actions of our Beloved Super Falcons for protesting lack of payment of their match bonuses. Infact, its high time this our so called NFA and Sports Ministry big bellys stop eating their cake and still having it.
OBJ, Naija image abroad is 0% coz of this problem caused by Musa Mohammed,Galadima ,Ogunjobi and Omidiran..If the truth is allowed to prevail in this issue now, u got to see that those monies are stacked in their big pockets and bank accounts.
''Trap has gotton hold of the trickish man''
NAWA 4 NAIJA big heads self!
Link  |  2004-10-06 05:23
Ahamefule Moses Okarah (ACIC, Abuja)
NFA should hold thier head in shame. I completely support the actions of the girls. Why did the NFA send them there in the first place when they know they don't have money? Is is a must to defend the cup and bring national embarrassment to the nation? FIFA or no FIFA sanction, the NFA should be BANNED, and a care taker committee set in place. They have proved to us that they are only there for there selfish gain.
Can you imagine kettle calling pot black!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wonders shall never end. We are talking of Due process and anti curruption crssade, yet those propagating it are the ones breaking it. The NFA, should not even think of sanctioning the girls for no just reason. That is there profession and they deserved to be paid for what they worked for. Fight on girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You won't be able to add comments, unless you are logged in
Not Registered yet ? Click here to Register.