BEN MEMULETIWON
Nigeria’s foremost talent hunt maestro Fanny Amun is miffed at the high level of absolute impunity displayed by the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). He is particularly not happy about the attitude of NFF which he said thwarted the country’s World Cup dream.
Noted for his ever stern disposition on football matters, Amun, who was guest of sports radio Brila FM’s phone-in Peoples’Parliament programme on Thursday, blasted the Pinnick Amaju-led NFF. He laid the blame of our group stage ouster on their heads.
“The NFF did not go to Russia to contest for the World Cup,” Amun begins. “They were there to feather their own nests. They were there discussing NFF elections, holding nocturnal meetings all nights. They never had time to analyse Nigeria’s poor performance or hold meeting with the technical crew.”
The Reformer, as Amun is fondly called, gave a stunning revelation that there was bellyfull animosities between the technical crew and the NFF technical committee insisting that the two parties worked at cross purposes in Russia.
“The coaching crew led by Gernot Rohr and the technical committee did not work as a team and it was obvious that they were heading for a sudden fall,” he said.
The NFF had ferried to Russia over 400 Nigerians including past NFF presidents and secretaries, states FA chairmen and secretaries, their wives and girlfriends, journalists and NFF staffers. But Amun says that is arrant rubbish.
Hear him: “Why on earth would the NFF take 400 people to Russia? That’s rubbish. It caused unnecessary distractions as they were busy holding meetings all nights. They were busy talking about elections even when the minister of youth and sports, Solomon Dalong had outlawed any move on the elections.”
Before the World Cup the minister suspended all actions on the NFF election based on the Supreme Court judgement of April 27 that nullified the September 2013 election that brought Amaju and his board to power. But Amun says that is gross insubordination to have dared the minister.
“Amaju is wrong to refer to the minister’s action as government’s interference,” he said. “That has been my grouse with the NFF. When it suits them, no interference but if it is against them, they cry wolves. What would have happened if the minister had gone ahead to implement the Supreme Court judgement before the World Cup?
“A thousand Federations would not have been able to remove Sepp Blatter from FIFA but the Swiss laws did. So Nigeria’s laws must be respected.
” Honestly, this is the best time to sort out the Supreme Court judgement and other related issues. The minister must act now.”
The Crest can authoritatively report that the leadership of the NFF will have loads of explanations to make to the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as soon as they return from Russia.
The law enforcement agents are trying to unravel various financial improprieties levelled against the leadership which include paying sponsorship monies into a private bank account instead of the Treasury Single Accounts (TSA).
