Sports Ministry Probed $390,000 Donation to Bronze Winning Dream Team

Mikel Obi, Katsuya Takasu & Samson Siasia

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Samson Siasia has queried the morals of the NFF and sports ministry over the money given by Japanese surgeon Takasuya Takasu – Officials have been asking for the source of the money which is $390,000 given to the Dream Team in Rio – The former Nigerian international said the Japanese man was touched with how his wards were abandoned in Atlanta Nigeria’s Dream Team VI coach Samson Siasia says he does not understand why sports ministry officials and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are interested in the $390,000 donations given to his team who won bronze medal in football at the just concluded Rio Olympics games.

Japanese surgeon Takasuya Takasu handed a cheque of $390,000 to the Dream Team’s skipper John Obi Mikel and Samson Siasia as an appreciation for them to have won bronze medal at the Olympics despite the serious challenges they went through prior to the start of the championship. The donations has generated huge controversies as top Nigerian sports officials have called for serious investigation to the source of the monetary reward given by the Japanese surgeon. Takasu is a well known plastic surgeon based in Japan, and he even made his intention known by visiting the Nigerian embassy.

Siasia however disclosed that the Japanese surgeon was only curious on how the Dream Team were neglected and abandoned in Atlanta and still went on to defeat Japan despite arriving Rio five hours to the game. “I want to ask these people who are saying they want to do all manner of checks to say what they have done for us during and after our campaign at the Olympics.

“Do you know that since we returned from Brazil, nobody from the NFF or ministry has called us to say we did well. “The Japanese benefactor said $200,000 and $190,000 was supposed to be for bronze medal and it was split among the players and officials equally and I want to make it clear that it is not my personal money. “What I got was what every other player and official in the team got and it is about $14,000 each because the money was not meant for me or Mikel alone but the entire team including the doctors and other back room staffs,” Siasia said. Despite the troubles faced by the team, Siasia’s boys did the nation proud by winning bronze medal – Nigeria’s only medal at the games. The Dream Team defeated Honduras 3 – 2 in a third place match played at the Maracana stadium.

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Michael Onas
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