By Amaechi Agbo
The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF has accused the immediate past minister of youth and sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung of working against team Nigeria during the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil.
The NFF in a release on Tuesday described the former minister as someone who “constituted himself into a bulwalk and divisive force against Nigerian athletes at the last Olympics in Brazil.”
The federation while comparing Mr Dalung’s over three years stewardship as the first Nigerian sports man with that of his successor, Sunday Dare quoted the president of the Federation, Mr Amaju Pinnick saying that the nation’s football governing body do not wish to recall his inglorious remarks against the football team when the team was camping in the USA ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Brazil
“The Sports Minister, (Sunday Dare) in his personal capacity, and the Ministry of Sports as a body worked their socks off. The Honourable Minister was exemplary; he explained, encouraged and empathized with the athletes as necessary and led the cheer at most of the venues where Nigerian athletes competed.
“He is such a wonderful breath of fresh air from the immediate (past) Minister of Sports who rather constituted himself into a bulwalk and divisive force against Nigerian athletes at the last Olympics in Brazil.
“We do not wish to recall his inglorious remarks against the football team when the team was camping in the USA.
“That football team eventually ended up winning Team Nigeria’s only medal – a bronze – at the Games.,” Pinnick said in the release.
Nigeria won only a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics in football event after the U-23 team defeated Honduras 3-2 in the 3rd place match on August 20th.
