‘Bribery allegation painting Nigerian coaches bad’

• Ladan Bosso wants the identity of ‘corrupt’ members revealed
• Coaches association threatens legal action

Worried by the recent bribery allegations levelled against some national team coached by two former players of the Super Eagles, the President of Nigeria Football Coaches Association, Ladan Bosso has asked the accusers to mention names of the ‘corrupt’ individuals to bring sanity into the nation’s football.

Two ex-Super Eagles players, Chinedu Obasi and Taye Taiwo recently made shocking revelations of bribery allegations against some handlers of the national team.

Former Schalke 04 striker, Obasi had claimed in a recent interview that he was denied a spot in Stephen Keshi’s list to Brazil 2014 World Cup because he refused to pay a bribe.

“I was playing for Schalke, I was playing in the Champions League and I was doing well. Two days before the list came out, I was asked to pay some money if I want to be in the team,” Obasi disclosed in an Instagram chat with a Nigerian journalist Kelechi Bernard.

“I felt like I’ve paid my dues for the country, I shouldn’t do this. If I was a young player, maybe I would have done that, but it was a bit personal for me and I felt very heartbroken. I was supposed to move from Hoffenheim to England and I got injured playing for Nigeria at the World Cup (South Africa 2010),” Obasi claimed.

On his part, former Eagles left-back Taye Taiwo also made similar bribery claims lately explaining he was forced to leave the national team because of ‘Keshi’s dirty deals.’

However, the President of Nigeria Football Coaches Association, Ladan Bosso said in a release yesterday that the accusers should mention the name of coaches so as to identify the offenders easily.

“We hereby request the accusers to mention the name of the coaches so as to stop the unnecessary backlash and bad blood that has continued to ravage the social media and some conventional media outfit,” Bosso said. “If the accusers see their actions as a means of bringing sanity into Nigeria football, the association will only welcome it if the accuser is precise and open to back up such allegations with facts and evidence.”

He continues: “Otherwise, the association strictly frown against persons making damming allegations against her members without any iota of facts or evidence to back same. We, therefore, advise that such nefarious allegations must stop as it only succeeds in painting Nigeria coaches bad and putting our hard-earned integrity and reputation built over the years to disrepute.

“We shall subsequently ask our members to take legal action against anyone who may defame their character and reputation in the eyes of the public,” Ladan Bosso stated.